The Price of This Love
by oOAnime AngelOo
Summary: When Gene gets mixed up with the wrong woman, it has dire consequences....for Jim. *completed 4/26/01*
1. The Girl

**The Price of This Love~***

**By Anime Angel ^0^**

*Oh yeah! Ahem *clears throat* None of the characters of Outlaw Star belong to me, with the exception of Naomi whom I don't like anyways blahblahblahblahblahyaddayadda....you know the works. Well...enjoy my second fic!

Jim rolled over in his bed at the sounds coming from the next room. Pushing the pillow down over his ears, he sighed. The red-haired captain of the Outlaw Star was at it again; he had brought home another girl. Now Gene was in his room with her, 'relaxing' as he had told Jim. 

"Hm...stoppit you!"

"Only if you stop..."

Jim grunted in frustration as the giggling in his partner's room began to grow louder. He had been awake for some time now, listening to the couple's conversation in the next room. He wouldn't exactly have called it a conversation, since it mostly consisted of weird noises, but that word was the only thing he could come up with that late at night.

"HEY SILLY WATCHIT!" the girl giggled.

Jim had had enough. He was exhausted from the day's work, and needed to get some sleep. Slowly, with a yawn, he rose out of the warm sheets and, taking his pillow, wandered into the hall. Not caring what he would find, he pushed open the door of Gene's room. 

"JIM! What do you think you're doing?!" Gene yelled, quickly throwing some sheets over his girlfriend. The two were lying in his bed, as Jim had expected, and various pieces of clothing were strewn around the room.

"I'll tell you what I'm doing Aniki, I'm shutting you two up!" he yelled. "You're not the ONLY one in this place ya know!"

"Common JIM! I had a busy day..."

"And so did I! You really should go get a room next time!"

The girl piped up from under the sheets. "I thought you said we were all alone, Genie! And what did he mean 'next time'?"

"Well, apparently "Genie" told a little fib," the boy informed her. With that said, Jim returned to his now some-what quieter room. After a few moments of silence, he heard the door to the apartment slam shut. 

"Jim you little RAT! You chased another one off!" Gene yelled. Jim could only chuckle at his partner as he fell back to sleep.

~*~*~*~

Gene woke early that morning at the smell of coffee in the kitchen. As he squinted against the morning light flooding his bedroom, he could hear his younger partner's hums coming from the kitchen. 

"Mornin' Aniki!" Jim said cheerfully as Gene stumbled to the table. 

"Mmmmm....coffee?"

"Right here." Jim handed him a cup. 

"Mmmmmm..." Gene savored the aroma for a moment before gulping down the hot, refreshing liquid. "More..." he mumbled. Jim smiled and poured him another cup. He finished off right away. 

"You know, Aniki, you should really BREATHE in between those cups..." Jim laughed as his partner only mumbled incoherently. "Or maybe you should just go back to bed!"

"Well....I would be a little HAPPIER if SOMEONE hadn't have interrupted my laxing time last night," he retorted.

"Yeah well I'm the one who does all the work around here! I need my sleep!" Jim said, suddenly defensive.

"And I need my LAX TIME!"

"So GET A ROOM!"

"Why don't YOU?!!"

"CUZ I DO ALL THE WORK!"

"Ya already used that one, buddy," Gene said, smiling. He waited for a comeback, thinking that his younger partner was playing. "C'mon! You aren't gonna give up now, are ya?" Jim only grimaced, his happy mood seemed to have disappeared.

"Never mind," he growled, getting up from the table. 

"Hey now, if it was gonna make you mad then why didn't you just say so?" Gene called after the boy. "Kids..." he muttered, finishing off his third cup of coffee. "I juuuust don't get em."

"Maybe if you paid a little more attention you would."

Gene looked up from the table, and found himself staring eye to eye with the dark-haired Melfina. "Oh...um...hi Mel."

"Hm. Hi." She smiled at him. "So, I heard you had a girl over this weekend."

"Um...yeah." His mood, like Jim's, darkened.

"Well...." She looked expectantly at him. "Are you going to tell me about it?"

"Aw...it didn't go that well. Stupid Jim ruined it all." Gene got up from the table and wandered into the living room, if one would call it that. It consisted of just a couch, a chair, and a TV. There was a small table, but one of its legs had been snapped, so it sat isolated in the corner.

"How did he ruin it?" Melfina inquired. She looked genuinely confused. 

"Aw...nothin'." He plopped down onto the couch and switched on the TV. "So how was your night at the hotel?" he asked, never looking up from the TV screen.

"Oh it was wonderful Gene." She paused and seemed to be thinking. "Though, Aisha was a little loud. Or maybe that was Suzuka...?"

"If it was snoring...it was Aisha."

"Yeah, I suppose." Melfina sat down next to Gene. "So, where is Jim now?" She could tell the two were having a conflict.

"Ah I dunno." Gene continued to stare at the screen.

"Oh...well I'll go look for him then! And Gene?"

"What?"

"We need groceries. I don't have any time, and as I recall it is your turn to go get them." She looked at him sternly. "Now, Gene?"

Gene grumbled and slowly rose from the soft cushions lining the tattered couch. "Fine. It'll get my mind off of what I COULD have had last night."

~*~*~*~

Naomi Kita slowly made her way through the grocery mart, pushing her cart cautiously around baskets and tables of food. However, she wasn't there to shop. She was there 'prospecting', as she called it. More accurately, she was looking for men, unique men. Men that could give her what she wanted. Men that could give her what was missing in her life. 

Naomi gracefully rounded a table filled with fruit. She pretended to eye the large pieces of food, but then moved on, making her way to the bakery section of the overly small store. She was about to turn out of one of the aisles, when one of the customer's caught her eye. 

She gasped. Could this one be it? She eyed him carefully as he picked out a shopping cart. He was a tall, slim man, with a cloak and dark eyes. But what she noticed most about him, was his hair. It was a deep red, and had caught her attention immediately. Now, all she had to do was find away to start a conversation. Moving quickly, she pushed her cart toward his. They collided with a loud crash.

"What the hell?!" The man was about to say something more, when he saw who he was talking to. "Oh...um...sorry," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Their carts were now entangled in a heap, she had hit him pretty hard.

"Oh no, um...it was my fault," Naomi said, batting her eyelashes at him. He began to blush.

"Um...lemme help you there!" He bent over and began picking up the contents of her fallen purse. "Um...you need anything else?"

"Oh no sir...though...I am a little hungry..." she said sweetly.

~*~*~*~

Gene Starwind could not believe what he was hearing. Did this girl, the one who had hit him, just ask him on a date? He stared at her, wide-eyed, until she again spoke.

"Would you mind maybe, um, taking me out to lunch?" The girl was tall, about as tall as he, and slim. Her eyes were a mysterious gray. He had never seen eyes like those, and they intrigued him. "Hello?" she laughed, pushing a piece of raven black hair out of her eyes. 

"Oh! Sorry!" Gene felt his face getting warm. But why? He had never been nervous around girls before. "Heh...I was just...thinking...um." Before he knew it, the girl and him were walking arm in arm out of the store, leaving the two entangled carts behind. 

~*~*~*~

"MEL! Where the hell is Gene?" 

Melfina looked up from the pot of rice she was cooking and shook her head. "I don't know, Jim. I sent him out to get groceries this morning."

Jim frowned. Not only was his partner late, but he had been entrusted the duty of picking up groceries. Now the only food in he house was rice, which was already being prepared for dinner. "Where IS HE!?" Jim growled, pounding his fist on he keyboard of his computer. "He has work to do! Can't he ever just _finish_ a simple job? How hard could it be to pick up some groceries for crying out loud!" Jim sighed. He should have been used to his partner's messing around, but he had been working his butt off all day trying to get their finances in order. Why should Gene get to play all the time, and never him? Finally, the blond gave up. "Uuuuuuugh.."

"Jim, settle down. I'm sure Gene has a good excuse for being late." As if on cue, Gene burst through the door, a large grin on his face. He stood there, smiling stupidly...without groceries.

"Gene...." Jim knew what that cheesy look on his face meant: he had blown another job. "Who is she THIS time?" he sighed. There was no use in scolding his older partner, it would only lead to more trouble.

"Oh, Jimboy she was beautiful," Gene said dreamily, sitting down next to the boy at the table. "She had this wonderful black hair--"

"Just like the one before, huh?" Jim said nonchalantly. He went back to typing.

"Oh come on! This girl, her name was Naomi. We really hit it off! Hell, she wants to see me again tomorrow!" The outlaw smiled proudly. "That's the first time somein' like that's happened in a while!" he said stupidly, not realizing that he was insulting himself. The exasperated Jim could only smile back. How could he stay mad at this carefree goofball?

"Yeah well, you and her can go on a shopping date tomorrow," Melfina said, almost glaring at him.

Gene whacked himself on the head. "Gee, heh, sorry Mel! I knew I had forgotten something." He sighed. "Look, I'll do it tomorrow, k?"

"All right," Melfina said quietly. She put a plate of rice down in front of him. "But all we have to eat until then, is rice."

Gene cringed. Rice was not his favorite food. Trying to act pleased, he stuffed a spoonful into his mouth. "Mmm...ish good!" he said, rice spilling out of his smiling mouth. Jim whacked him upside the head.

"Gene Starwind, you are such an asshole."

"At leasht I ain no runt like you!" the red-head returned, his mouth stuffed full. He turned to Jim and proceeded to scoop rice into his lap.

"Hey!" Jim yelped. "Oh your gonna get it Aniki!" he screeched, tipping the entire pot of rice onto the outlaw. He then pounced his older partner, both of them flying to the floor in a flurry of arms and legs.

"My food!" Melfina put the pot back up in its upright position, but not before the majority of the rice had been strewn about the floor. She would have scolded the two misfits, until she realized that, for the first time that day, the two were laughing. She watched happily as they wrestled about. _Well, at least they've made up_, she thought, wondering how long it would last.

~*~*~*~

Gene woke up early that morning. Well, early for him at least... it was actually about eleven o' clock. Yawning loudly, he hopped out of bed, and proceeded to get dressed. 

"Oh yeah....who's lookin' cool..." Gene said to himself in front of the mirror as he ran a comb through his unruly hair. "Now where is that stuff..." Gene searched quickly through the drawers on his small wooden dresser, and finally found what he was looking for. "Cologne for the--"

"Idiotic male bimbo," Jim finished from behind. Gene ignored him and slapped some of it on his cheeks. "Hey, is that the stuff that the girl was always complaining about back on--"

"Oh shut up Jim. This girl is different." He turned to his partner, who was now leaning in the doorway. "I know it, buddy. It's gonna be different this time. Me and her...we had a GREAT time yesterday! And don't you dare do anything to chase her away now, ya hear?" He looked sternly into his younger partner's bright blue eyes before pushing past and strolling into the kitchen. Jim nearly died at the overwhelming smell of Gene's cologne.

"Ya think you put enough of that stuff on, Aniki?" he coughed, his eyes watering. "You want to charm her, not kill her!"

"Oh yeah? And what would you know about women, eh?"

"Oh come on Gene, I should be the master of women... being around a sleezball like you so much."Jim laughed as Gene's face grew red.

"Oh come on, I don't go through that many women. Do I?" His question was only met with a snicker. "Yeah well, I guess I do," Gene finally agreed, slapping Jim over the back. "So, you'll tell Mel that I'll be out most of the day, right?" 

Jim nodded. "Yeah, yeah Aniki. Just don't go and forget to get the food again!"

"Hey now. I wouldn't do that. Not twice in a ROW anyways..."

"Yeah, sure Aniki. Whatever you say..." Jim said sarcastically. 

"Heh, see ya tonight, kid."

~*~*~*~

Naomi looked desperately around the resteraunt for Gene. He was late, _way_ late. She sighed as the place started to fill up, and once again looked at her watch. _Maybe he isn't the one I want..._ Just then, the slamming of the restaurant door broke through her thoughts. 

"Gene?" Sure enough, it was him. In the outlaw came, looking somewhat stressed and exhausted.

"Oh...Naomi....I am SO sorry. I promised Jim I would get groceries, and , well the list was longer than I expected..." He stopped when he saw her motion him to a table. For a moment, anger flickered in her eyes. _Damn him....he was late....he was trying to humiliate me in front of everyone..._ Her thoughts stopped abruptly, and she forced herself to calm down. The anger, as quickly as it had appeared, was eliminated from her eyes.

"I...I'm sorry..." Instead of letting Gene continue, she changed the subject.

"So, who's Jim?" she inquired, smiling sweetly. "Is he your...father? Brother?"

"Oh no...Jim's just my partner," he said. A waiter came by and handed them both a menu.

"And, he was the one the made you late I suppose..." Naomi let her voice trail off. It was a way, she had learned, to grasp the attention of men easily: let them think that you're angry. Let them believe that you're hurt.

"Um...well....sort of. I was supposed to do it yesterday but, you know, with the whole lunch thing, I sorta got distracted."

"Did I get you in trouble?" she asked, fake worry flooding her voice. "I'm sorry! Yesterday, I had such a great time!"

"Oh no! It wasn't you!" Gene's face grew red. "You see, I get distracted easily!" He laughed nervously.

"Well, this conversation is getting nowhere!" Naomi rubbed his leg under the table playfully, wanting the man's full attention. "Why don't we just do like yesterday, hm? Have a little fun...do a little driving..." She continued to play with him under the table.

"Sounds good to me." She felt his foot over hers, and suddenly wanted to be gone from the crowded restaurant. Naomi wanted to be alone with the man sitting across from her. 

"I--" She stopped. If she rushed things too much, he wouldn't want her. And then? Then he woud leave. Leave and be gone forever, just like the others.

"What?"

She looked into his eyes. "Gene, you aren't going to leave me, are you?" _No!_ her mind screamed. _You just met him yesterday. _But then, they did have so much fun. The beach, the kiss he had planted on her cheek as they looked out over the water...she didn't want any of those memories to be lost. She had to keep Gene Starwind. She wouldn't let him go.

"Hey, now. I'm not going anywhere!" The outlaw leaned over the table and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "After this lunch, girl, I'm gonna take you someplace where we can be alone," he said, as if he had read her thoughts before.

Naomi smiled back at Gene, her grey eyes sparkling. She had to make sure he would always be there. She had to make sure that he would never leave her....never.

To be continued....duh

*Well...what did ya all think? Was is better than my last fic (those of you who actually READ it)? I hope so. I worked REALLY hard on this one. There will be more, and it will get more exciting...but as of now I am just setting the thing up. Please review! I will give you a little piece of info: Naomi is NOT I repeat NOT a good girl. Poor Jim.....and no there is no lemony material, and no yaoi...but maybe some graphic violence and Jim torture....er....angst. K? Jim just sorta....well I won't tell you. You can already see the conflict between him and Gene's relationships. Well....hope you come back for more!


	2. First Meeting

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel ^0^**

~~~ Three weeks from last chapter ~~~

Jim watched as Gene made his way up the front steps. It was what he did every night now, but this time his partner wasn't alone...he was with his girlfriend.

Jim studied the girl carefully. She was about as tall as her boyfriend, slim, had black, straight hair, and seemed to cling to Gene like some sort of fungi. Jim couldn't say that he exactly liked the girl. In fact, this was the first time in three weeks that he had actually seen her. He had begun to believe that she was all in his partner's head, but no, there she was. As real as ever. He slowly left the window as Gene and her neared the door. 

"And this is it!" Jim could hear Gene telling her outside. The door in front of him swung open, and nearly knocked the boy over.

"Hey!" Jim yelled, backing up. "Ya gotta be more careful ANIKI!" He smiled playfully and looked from Gene, to the girl, and back again. 

"Oh, sorry buddy." Jim waited expectantly for Gene to introduce him, but instead Gene said, "Jim...um...you're blocking the door..."

"AHEM!" Jim cleared his throat loudly and glared at his older partner.

"Wha....OH! That's right um....Naomi? This is Jim, my partner. Jim, this is Naomi." Gene pulled away from the girl and strolled lazily towards the kitchen. "I'll let you two get aquainted while I fix us some coffeee," he called over his shoulder. 

After a moment of silence, the girl, Naomi, spoke. "Y....you're Gene's partner?" 

_What a stupid question_, Jim thought. Hadn't Gene just told her that? "Yes...." he said. 

"But...but you're just a little boy!" she laughed, as if it were all one big joke. 

"I am not!" Jim shot back indignantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Apparently his partner had forgotten to mention a few things when dating.

"Let me get his straight: _you're_ JIM? The one who has been _ordering _my Gene around all week? You...a _little boy_?" 

"Ordering? SHEESH! Is that what he said?" Jim looked up at the girl that had been keeping Gene out so much that week, and let out a small chuckle. "Look, those jobs were his _chores_. I didn't order him to do them!"

"Well, why does he have to have so many? You aren't his father or anything, why should he listen to you?" 

Jim couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I didn't order him to do anything! As it is, he didn't do half as much as he should! He was spending all his time with _you!_" For a moment, Jim thought he saw something, an emotion, change in her grey eyes. But when he looked again, they remained the same. He shook his head, and headed after his partner. "You can go sit down in the living room, if you want," he muttered.

~*~*~*~

Naomi just stood there in front of the door, even after the little boy had told her to sit down. She was bewildered, confused, and most of all....furious. She watched as the short blond followed her Gene into the kitchen. How could he, such a _puny_ little boy, be able to tell her outlaw what to do? And worst of all, how could Gene _obey_ him?! 

She shuddered. This boy, he had made her feel stupid, and he had made her Gene look like a child... an insignifigant being that listened to pathetic little boys. But no, she knew he wasn't like that. Her Gene was strong, handsome, and most of all _independent_. Naomi couldn't let this boy go and take those things away from him by making him do stupid chores. She wouldn't let this boy deprive her of what she wanted.

"Naomi! Coffee's ready! Dinner, too! You want some?" 

Naomi snapped back into reality at the sound of Gene's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Coming, Gene!" she said, following the path he had taken into the small room. She looked around in disgust as she entered what was supposed to be a kitchen/dining area. _What a rat's hole!_ She grimaced as a spider ran past her, and up a wall. _I will have to fix this_, she thought, while sitting herself down in a chair. Naomi just couldn't let her Gene live in such a filthy place.

"And on tonight's menu..." Gene placed a plate down in front of her, and then sat down himself. "Spaghetti!" 

"How...wonderful! Did you cook it yourself, Gene?" she asked, as the boy came and sat inbetween her and Gene. She glared at him for a moment before returning her focus to her boyfriend.

"GENE?! COOK?!" The annoying Jim burst out laughing. "Ooooh..." he said, wiping his eyes. "That's a good one!" Gene glared at him, along with Naomi. Was this boy _laughing _at her? Well, he was certainly laughing at her Gene. NO ONE laughed at her Gene.

"I don't think it's very funny little boy!" she said defensively, looking into the boy's eyes. He immediately stopped laughing.

"I...I was just joking!" He slapped Gene on the back. "See? Joke....?" 

Naomi's face was growing warm again. She could feel the anger knotting in her stomach, and then rising to her throat. 

"Hey Naomi! Don't let this little brat bother you!"

_Breathe in, breathe out, _Naomi told herself. When she felt the red leave her face, her eyes returned to Gene. She forced a smile. "So...you didn't cook the food?" 

"No...I did."

Naomi whirled around at the sound of another female voice. It was a girl who had spoken._ What is he doing with another woman in his house?!_

"Hello, Gene has told me so much about you! It's nice to finally meet you." The dark haired girl outstretched her hand, and Naomi forced herself to take it and shake.

"So..." she said, looking straight at Gene. "Who might this be?"

"Mel?" Gene laughed. "She's part of our crew, of course!" 

Naomi sighed. Everything looked okay, but she would have to talk to Gene later.

~*~*~*~

"So, what's this new girl like, eh JIMMY?!" Jim pulled Aisha's hand out of his hair. 

"Ah...she's a little uptight, but besides that I guess she's okay."

"It's never been like Gene to pick a normal girl," Suzuka said from the corner, rubbing her wooden sword with a cloth. "At least, not since I met him."

Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka were all sitting in Gene's apartment. He and his girlfriend were currently upstairs 'discussing thing' as Naomi had put it. The girl had totally flipped when Aisha and Suzuka came waltzing in for dinner. She had shrieked 'How many women do you have here?!' and then bounded up the staircase, Gene following close behind. 'We need to talk about this...' were her exact words.

"I don't know guys. She's really weird, and..." He thought for a moment. "I don't know...there's just something strange about her."

"Really?" Aisha said loudly, bouncing down on the couch next to Jim. "Wonder why?" 

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there are three women living with him," Suzuka said, stating the obvious. She peered into the kitchen where Melfina was washing dishes. "I mean, one was a shock. But three?"

"Yeah I guess so," Jim said, but the truth was that he disagreed. He really doubted that the woman's strange behavior was because there were women living in Gene's apartment. Sure that was a part of her weird attitude, but Jim thought there ws something more. 

"Well, at least Gene's found someone that's lasted more than just three days!" Aisha again began to ruffle Jim's hair, and once again he pulled her hands out of it. "Oh come on JIMMY!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him and pushing him over. "I just wanna PLAY WITCH YA!"

"Aisha! Hey!" He pushed her back over on the couch. Her whiskers scrunched together and in a high pitched voice she began to taunt him.

"That's it _wittle_ _baby_! TAKE ON A CTARL CTARL---"

Before she could finish what she was saying, Jim had knocked her over the head with a pillow. "So much for the great Ctarl Ctarl race!" he laughed, forgetting for that moment about Gene and his girlfriend upstairs.

~*~*~*~

"Gene Starwind HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?!" Naomi yelled. Her face was red with anger and frustration as she paced around the room. Her Gene was sitting on the bed against the opposite wall, obviously thinking. "How could you go and think it was all right that THREE women live with you?" Her face clouded over. "I thought...I thought you loved me..." Naomi knew that it was stupid of her to say that. Gene and her had only met three weeks weeks ago, but in that time she and him had grown close. More than 'friend' close, she and him were closer than that. Closer than him and that little boy...and closer than he was with those women. At least, she hoped.

"Look, Naomi, there's absolutely nothing between us! They're just the crew for our ship! They don't even live here!" Gene looked up into Naomi's teary eyes.

"Oh Gene," she whimpered, sitting down next to him on the bed. She took his hand. "I'm just so confused. Why didn't you tell me abou them? About your partner?"

"I...I really never thought of anything like that," he said, looking deep into her eyes. She could see his sorrow in them, sorrow for hurting her. The words he was saying to her just then, they were comforting. Maybe, just maybe, she could keep this relationship. She had to try.

"I should have asked, but...but some of this bothers me. Aren't you supposed to be the boss around here? Or is that little boy..." _Don't bring the little brat into this. Stay on the subject of your relationship...._

"Jim? Aw he's just my little partner. Sure he seems bossy but," He shrugged his shoulders. "I deal with it." He put a gentle hand over hers, and pulled her closer. "Look, if you want, he doesn't have to be around anymore. At least, not when you're here." He laughed. "Jim's sorta got a problem with me bringing home friends. He can be a little jerk sometimes, so if he bothers you, I can make him go stay with the girls next time."

Naomi smiled at him sweetly. "I'm sorry Gene," she whispered. "You see, I just want someone who will stay committed to me. someone who won't leave me alone." She looked longinly up into his dark eyes. "I've been hurt so many times. I want this time to work out, so that you will always be here to protect me....will you?"

Gene smiled at her. It was a genuine smile, she knew. "As long as I love you, and you love me, I will stay. I promise."

"I...I just get so lonely sometimes..." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I know you probably think that maybe I'm going a little too far..."

"Hey! If you're that lonely, why doncha move in here with me for now?" Naomi's eyes lit up.

"But, what about--"

"Jim? I'm sure he'll stay out of our way. He can move into the room downstairs, and you can stay next to me? That sound okay?" Naomi nodded. "All right then, I'll go and pick up your stuff." 

And that's when she knew. That's when she knew that, no matter what the consequences, she had to make sure that no one would ever deprive her of his love. Naomi Kito had to eliminate all obstacles that stood between her, and Gene Starwind.

To be continued....

*So...what did ya think about this one? Well, if it bored you, there should be more exciting stuff in the next one.The story will mainly focus on Gene, Naomi, and Jim, with appearences by Aisha, Suzuka, Gilliam, and Melfina. In the next chapter, Naomi and Jim are left alone while Gene goes out to get food, or something. (dun dun DUN!) CONFLICT CONFLICT! There has to be a conflict, I mean, Naomi is..... ahem...anyways, the next chapter will be more exciting. Please review! I need opinions...isn't Naomi a weirdo? Heh....I created her....and I STILL think she's a little insane. 


	3. Eliminating Obstacles

The Price of This Love

**The Price of This Love~***

**BY: Anime Angel ^0^**

"WHAT?! ANIKI!" Jim yelled, his face red with anger. How could Gene do this to him? And without his consent!

Gene set his girlfriend's things on the hard floor, and turned to face his angered partner. 

"Look, Jim, the girl's lonely! It's not like I'm gonna be kicking you out! You're just gonna have to move to the room down here--"

"It's a closet, Aniki! I'M NOT GOING TO SLEEP IN A CLOSET!" This had gone too far. It was different when Gene brought home a girl for just one night, but who knew how long this one was going to stay. 

"Jim, she's staying and that's final! You just don't like when I got it goin' good with a girl, do ya?!" Gene glared at Jim, his eyes stern. But Jim wouldn't go for that....he wasn't the outlaw's little baby.

"Come on! You just met her what, two weeks ago?! And now yer gonna live with her?!" 

"Three weeks," Gene corrected, picking the luggage up again. "I'm gonna go put these in the room upstairs," he said, turning to go. "...and you'd better go and move your stuff." With that, the red-haired outlaw headed upstairs. 

Jim watched with utter disbelief as his partner's girlfriend met him at the top of the staircase. She had what looked like a concerned look on her face, but there was something wrong with it. The look seemed all too fake to Jim.

"Gene, if this is going to be trouble....I don't have to stay," Jim heard the girl say. He waited for Gene to kick her out, to agree and send her home. But instead, the outlaw shook his head.

"No, Naomi, you're staying. Jim's just gonna have to deal with this." 

Had Jim heard right? Had Gene really fallen for the crap this girl had just dished out? But as the outlaw carried her bags into what had once been Jim's room, the boy realized that Gene was wrapped around Naomi's little finger, and that he wasn't going to let go.

~*~*~*~

The next day~*

Naomi pushed the little boy's things over with disgust, and began to pull various pieces of his clothing out of the dresser. She threw them in the corner of the room, and then began unpacking her own things. As she started to put them in the drawers, she heard a sound behind her. Whirling around, she found herself face to face with Jim Hawking. 

"What do ya think yer doing?" he asked, an annoyed tone in his voice. "That's MY dresser, and can't you wait until I at least get all of my stuff out?!" He glared at her, his blue eyes filled with a look of dislike.

"Well, I don't think that I should have to wait just because YOU are taking your sweet time," she snapped, returning his looks. This was _her_ room now, and after the little kid had removed all of his things, he wouldn't be coming back.

"Hey, this is still MY room, lady," Jim returned, as if he could read Naomi's thoughts. 

_Not any more_, she thought, shoving his things toward him. 

"Take them," she ordered. "And then, I would appreciate it if I had some privacy." Her voice was icy cold, and dared the boy to challenge her order. He merely stood his ground, however, a look of disapproval on his face. Without saying anything more, he gathered his things and set them outside the door. Silently, he came in further, stopping when he reached the bed. The boy then began pulling of the blankets and mattress.

"Excuse me!" Naomi yelled. "This is my bed, you little..."

"Little what?!" 

"Leave those there. My Gene told me _specifically_ that that was my bed!" She got up from the small wooden chair she was sitting in, and instead plopped herself down on the bed that the boy was currently tugging on. 

"Hey!" he screeched. "Didn't _your Gene_ bring you your mattress or something! What am I supposed to sleep on?!"

"Jim."

The blond looked at Gene, who was now leaning against the doorway.

"Aniki..."

"Leave it there Jim. You can use the extra cot that we have, remember?" The outlaw smiled slyly. "What ever happened to your gentlemanly manners?" he asked sarcastically.

Naomi silently cheered her Gene on. He would make this brat go away, and leave her alone. But had he heard her snap at the kid? She wasn't sure, but judging by the look on his face, she guessed not. 

"Fine." Jim said. His eyes had a look of betrayal in them as he gathered his things and headed downstairs.

"Oh Gene! I am so sorry for causing this much trouble..." Naomi said, sighing deeply. "I don't think that it's very good that I'm staying here..."

"Nonsense, girl! You got just as much right to sleep in this room as anybody else. I invited ya after all!" The red-head winked, and then exited into the small hallway. 

Naomi continued to smile sweetly as her Gene bounded down the stairs to go counsel the sulking boy. That Jim had been endangering everything she wanted and hoped for with Gene, and she would have to put a stop to it.

~*~*~*~

"I don't care if she's a lady Aniki. You shoulda heard the way she was talking to me!" Jim piled his clothes in the corner of the small room. It was dark, damp, and had no windows, but he figured that with this girl in the house he would have to get used to it. 

"Oh give it a break. Look, Jim," Gene said, his voice suddenly very serious. "I know you don't like this girl, but I do. She's the first one I have ever, EVER felt this close to, and....and I don't want her to go away." His eyes were pleading. "So, could ya just try to deal with it for a while, Jim? For me?"

Jim turned to face his partner. Did Gene really believe that this girl was something special? Even if he did, why was he doing this to him? Jim really didn't like the girl, but as he looked up into his older partner's lonely face, all he could do was say, "Yeah, sure." _No,_ his mind screamed, _don't! Remember the way she was ordering you around? You can't agree to this!_ But when he went to speak again, his words were different. "I guess I could sleep down here for a while, but I am not going to change my entire lifestyle just for her, Aniki." What had Jim done? Had he really just agreed to let this girl take over their lives? 

"Thanks, buddy," Gene said, relief evident in his voice. "Hey, uh, if you wanna fix this place up tomorrow..." he looked around, making a dissatisfied face, "...I'd be willing to help ya."

"Na, that's okay. You need to go out and find a job anyways, Aniki, we're running out of money...and fast." 

"Yeah yeah! Stop reminding me, kid, you're beginnin' to sound like my mother..." Gene smiled and ruffled Jim's hair. The boy, smiled back, feeling a little better about the whole arrangement with Naomi. He had had to sleep on the couch once already, and was at least glad that he know had a room...no matter how small and cramped it was. "So, ya want me to go pick us up something ta eat? I think I'm gonna go get myself some fries..."

"Pick me up some burgers!" Jim yelled after Gene, who was already heading for the door. He sighed as he watched his partner give him a thumbs up, and then disappear. "Aniki, Aniki, Aniki," the boy muttered. "You'd better thank me for this one." 

Making sure that everything in his new 'room' was organized, he headed over to the living room. The crew's finances were running dangerously low, and Jim needed to figure out if they could even afford to pay for the food that his partner was out getting. He sat down comfortably in a chair next to the small, broken table that he had set up in the corner of the room for his laptop. With a smile on his face he reached down to turn on his laptop...only, there was no laptop to turn on.

"Wha...wha....MY COMPUTER!" Jim yelled, his eyes widening. "Where...where is it?! GILLIAM!" No response came from the small, now pink computer. "Gilliam?" Jim glanced over to where his 'friend' should have been sitting. "What?!" Gilliam, like the laptop, was no where to be found. _What the hell happened?_

Jim got up from the chair and quickly searched the room. Nothing was found. _Where...where is everything? _Then a dreadful thought came to him. _Naomi..._ He bounded up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, dreading what he might find. _She better not have touched Gilliam...not to mention my computer!_

"Naomi...I need to talk to you," Jim yelled, pounding on the door to 'her' room. "I'm missing some of my--" Suddenly the door swung open, knocking the boy flat on his face. "Oooow..." Jim moaned, his nose bleeding. He sat up, and glared at the woman standing above him.

"What do you want," she growled. "I was just about to go take a bath...so what is it?!" 

"I'm missing some of my stuff," Jim said, wiping his bloody nose. "I was wondering if you've seen any of it." He waited, but she didn't respond, or make a move to go look for anything. "I'm missing my computer, and a little pink...um....thing."

"Oh _those_," Naomi said, making a face. "They were in the way. I put them in the closet." She pushed some of her dark hair behind her ear, obviously a bit annoyed. "That little toy of your's sure makes a lot of noise. I couldn't figure out how to turn it off!" 

"Ugh! THAT WAS NOT A TOY!" Jim yelled, afraid of what she had done to Gilliam. With a fearful knot forming in his stomach, Jim picked himself off of the floor and pushed past the woman. 

"Hey!" she shrieked. "GET OUT! If you want your toys I'LL GET THEM FOR YOU!"

Jim, ignoring her demands, flung open the closet door. Inside were his laptop, and a very silent Gilliam. 

"Gilliam?!" Jim picked up the little pink computer, only to discover that a large cloth had been tied around its 'mouth'. The boy gingerly pulled it off.

"Why thank you Jim!" Gilliam exclaimed, his small mechanical arms flailing. "One moment I was sitting on your desk, and the next..." His small eyes seemed to widen. "The next thing I knew I was being tied up!" His voice was indignant. "I don't think I have ever experienced anything so humiliating...I mean, I may be just a ship's computer, but really!"

Jim smiled with relief at the babbling pink computer. At least that girl hadn't hurt him...or broken him.

"Come on, Gil, I'll take you--" Jim let out a cry as he was hit with a slap so hard it knocked him into the closet. 

"Get out of my ROOM!" Naomi screamed. Jim was just a little more than ticked off, but with the angry tone in her voice he figured that it would be best if he did what she said. Picking up both Gilliam and his laptop, the boy hurried out of the room, leaving a raging Naomi alone.

~*~*~*~

"Hey Jim, what's up?" Gene said cheerfully, throwing the boy's burger at him. Sitting down to eat his own food, he started humming a tune, only stopping when Jim looked up at him. "Hey...what happened to your face?" 

"I ran into a door," Jim growled, almost tempted to tell his partner about the whole 'incident' that had happened about an hour earlier. "I was going up to talk to Naomi, and, well, the door just flew open in my face." 

Gene suddenly froze. 

"What's the matter, Aniki?" Jim looked puzzled...could his partner _know_ what Naomi had done? But when Gene went to speak, those weren't the words that came out. 

"You...you didn't chase her out...did you?" 

"ANIKI!" Jim yelled. "I did no such THING! I promised REMEMBER!?" He couldn't believe it; he had promised Gene only a few hours ago that he would try and make do with the girl living in their house. Apparently his partner hadn't taken anything seriously. _Just like Aniki..._

"Look, Jim, why don't--"

"Aniki, I promised! I was just looking for some of my stuff!" _That's it, I'm gonna tell him what happened. It'll be good for him. He can't go on living with this witch!_ "Aniki, look. Naomi isn't what she seems to be. I--"

"Gene dearest!" Jim whirled around. As if the girl could read the boy's thoughts, she came gracefully down the stairs, glaring quickly at Jim along the way. "Gene, I just had a wonderful idea!" She threw her arms around him, whispering softly in his ear. A smile soon began to creep across the outlaw's face. 

"Jim," he said, turning from his girlfriend to face the boy. "Do you...would you mind if Naomi and I had a little alone time tonight?" The red-head grinned slyly, winking at his partner. However, Jim didn't smile back. 

"Fine," he snapped, picking up the things he would need. The boy wasn't in any mood to argue. In fact, he figured that it would be good if he could at least have Aisha, Suzuka and Melfina to listen to him. 

~*~*~*~

Later that night~*

"Hey JIM! Whas the matta?!" Aisha asked, nearly pounced the sulking boy. He was sitting now on Melfina's bed, his computer on a desk in front of him. Jim hadn't told the girls yet what had happened, but he planned on it.

"Gene and that stupid girl is what is the matter," he said, squinting at the screen. "That girl, Naomi or whatever, she got me kicked out of my own room!" He sighed. "Not only that but she acts so perfect around Aniki. But then, when he's not around, she goes berserk! It's like she's got multiple personalities." He sighed and went back to typing, ignoring the bouncing Ctarl Ctarl. 

"Aw...poor wittle Jimmy!" She ruffled his blond hair. "I betchya that you're just jealous cuz she's spendin' all the time with your _aniki_..."

"Aisha, stop bothering Jim," Melfina said from the corner, her bright eyes filled with sincere worry. "I think Jim has a right to be angry. I would too, I guess." 

"Do you think she's really that bad, Jim?" Suzuka looked at the boy, an inquiring look on her pale face. "What exactly did she do?"

"Well, for one thing, I really don't think she likes me." The boy shuddered. "I mean, I went up to _her_ room to get my stuff -- the stuff that _she_ took up there -- and she flipped out!" He showed the surprised girls the bruise around his noise, and Melfina gasped in horror.

"Gene's girlfriend hit you?!" The shock was evident in her voice. 

"Not exactly... but it was pretty close."

Aisha got up in Jim's face, examining the bruise closely. "That little...I otta go teach that bitc--"

"Now, Aisha, I don't think you going and beating up the girl is going to do anything to help," Suzuka said from her chair. "Jim, did you tell Gene about all of this?" The boy lowered his head. 

"Aw guys, you should see him. I just don't have the heart to tell him that his girl's a phony." Jim sighed deeply. "He's just like one big happy puppy. I haven't seen him stay with a girl this long .... ever!" 

"Well, we gots to do somethin' Jim!" Aisha shrieked. "I ain't gonna let that little..." She held herself back, and instead growled. "I tell ya what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna scare that little witch right outta there, ya hear me?!"

"Aisha...aw never mind. Do what you want." Jim turned to the spazzing Ctarl Ctarl and had to laugh. "Jeez....just don't rip her apart, okay?" 

The Ctarl Ctarl smiled evilly, her eyes narrowing. "Don't worry, Jimmy, I got somethin' else planned for her."

~*~*~*~

Aisha couldn't help but snicker quietly as she bounded up the stairs of Gene's dark apartment. This was going to be perfect, if everything worked out as she had planned it. Being careful not to make a sound, the Ctarl Ctarl tiptoed past the outlaw captain's room. From outside the closed door, she could hear him and his girlfriend inside, giggling and going on about how much they loved each other...

Aisha paused, and couldn't help but listen for a moment.

"Oh Gene...I'm so glad you agreed to this." The girl's voice was soft and sweet, almost musical. "We haven't had much alone time, but I hope that that will change."

"Yeah...." Aisha made a face as she heard the two start to kiss, so instead of staying any longer, she moved swiftly down the hall to where Jim's room had been. Inside everything looked just the same as it had been when the boy was staying there, only when Aisha opened one of the drawers she found bras instead of undershirts, and small thin pairs of underwear instead of boxers. The whole set up looked very much like her own dresser, but that didn't matter to the Ctarl Ctarl. She was here on business. 

"Ehehe..." she snickered, pulling something wet and foul smelling from a pouch at her side. "I'm sure Gene's girl will get a kick outta this." Careful not to drop the 'gift' on the floor, Aisha lifted up some of the clothing and placed the wet lump under them. Then, ignoring the disgusting noises the unexpecting couple were making in the next room, she headed back to her apartment

~*~*~*~

Jim, figuring that his partner was already up anyways, had gone back to the apartment early that morning. He hadn't slept much that night, and instead watched Aisha leave, and then return a half an hour later. He had to admit, he _was_ curious at what the Ctarl Ctarl had done, but when he got back to Gene's apartment his partner wasn't acting strange at all. _What did she do?_ Jim thought, putting Gilliam and his computer in his room. 

"Hey there, Jim. Have a nice stay with Mel and the girls?" Gene was sitting at the kitchen table, inhaling a cup of coffee, as the boy entered the room. "How are they?"

"Fine, to both questions," Jim said, pouring himself a cup of coffee also. "They questioned me a lot bout Naomi...I guess you forgot to tell them that she was staying here, now." 

"Yeah, well, I guess I did. But at least you got that covered, right--" Gene was interrupted by a blood curdling scream.

"GENE! EW EW EW EW! GET IT OUT!" 

"Naomi?!" Not waiting another second, Jim and Gene both bounded up the stairs. There, standing deathly pale in the hall, was Naomi, her whole body shaking. 

"Gene!" she whimpered, falling into his arms. "LOOK WHAT THEY DID!" The sobbing girl dragged Gene into her room, Jim following close behind. As the boy entered the room, a foul smell filled his nostrils. He plugged his nose in disgust. What had Aisha done?

Jim's older partner slowly approached the dresser, his nose also plugged. He reached in the top drawer with a cautious hand, and pulled out a dead fish. Immediately, Naomi screamed.

"GET IT AWAY!" she shrieked, backing away from the outlaw. Her shoulders shook with every sob. "Gene....why would anyone do this to me?!" Making sure that he no longer held the dead thing, the girl attached herself to his arm. 

"Hey now...it's okay," he reassured her, then, with a look of anger and betrayal in his eyes, the outlaw turned to Jim. 

"What?!" Jim yelled. Somehow, he knew what was coming, but no matter what he said the boy knew that he would be blamed.

"You promised me Jim," Gene said quietly, pulling Naomi closer. "You promised...but that didn't matter, did it?! You had to go and pull a stunt like this anyways!" 

"Aniki....Aniki it wasn't--"

"I don't want to hear it Jim!" Gene yelled. "Go to your room, NOW!"

Jim backed away slowly, not sure what to do. The outlaw, after pushing Naomi aside, advanced on him.

"I said NOW Jim." 

"No....Aniki, I'm NOT YOUR BABY--" Gene cut him off with an angry, almost hateful glare. "Fine," Jim whispered, the hurt evident in his eyes. Without another word, he turned and left, running down the stairs as fast as he could and right into his room. As he went to sit down on the bed, he wished just then that the room he was in had a door...especially since he could hear his partner comforting Naomi upstairs. It was right then and there that Jim wished he had stopped Aisha from getting her 'revenge'. But it wasn't Aisha who he was angry at, it was Naomi.

~*~*~*~

It was much, much later when Naomi finally calmed down. She was enraged; angry at mostly at the little bastard, but partly at her Gene for not throwing the boy out earlier. How could he have let something like this happen to her? 

She sat now alone in her room, trying to ignore the lingering smell. _Why? How come everytime I fall in love, there is always someone else there to pull us apart. I can't let this happen....not again. _And so, slowly but ever so carefully, Naomi began to develop a plan. One that would ensure that Gene would be all hers, and one that would eliminate the little brat that was in her way. She had to do something to stop the kid, before everything she hoped for vanished.

"Naomi? Are you all right?" Naomi got up from her spot at the sound of Gene's voice outside the door, and opened it to reveal a very stressed looking outlaw. "Hey there," he whispered, taking the girl in his arms. "You okay now?"

"Yeah," she murmered, putting her own arms around his waist. "I...just got a little frightened, you know? Girls don't like that kinda stuff."

"Yeah well, I'm sorry it happened." Gene looked deep into her eyes, and suddenly all of Naomi's anger for the man holding her seemed to vanish. 

"It's not your fault," she whispered back, gently kissing him on the cheek. Suddenly, she pulled away from him, and turned around. "I...I think it would be best if I slept alone tonight, Gene. I don't....I don't think with Jim here..." She spit out the words, hoping that the outlaw wouldn't hear the hate in her voice. "I don't think that it would be a good idea to be together tonight." 

"Yeah, I know Naomi." He pulled her back around and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll be next door if you need me, all right?"

Naomi nodded. "Okay Gene. Thank you."

~*~*~*~

It was late at night when Naomi decided that it was time to execute her plan. She listened intently for the sounds of Gene's snoring in the next room, and when she was sure that he was asleep, she cautiously gathered her pillow and rose out of bed.

As she headed quietly down the stairs, her mind was set on what had to be done that night. Of course, her relationship with Gene would never be the same, but if anything it would strengthen. Sure her Gene would grieve for his friend, but Naomi would be there to comfort him. She would make eveything all right again.

Naomi could hear Jim's soft breathing as she neared his room, and a smile slowly spread across her face. Luck seemed to be on her side tonight, for the boy continued to sleep peacefully as she made her way over to his bed. With a steady hand, she slowly turned the sleeping child onto his back. 

"Mmmmm..." he murmered, his eyelids fluttering open. "Wha?" he said sleepily. "Naomi--" Jim's sentence was abruptly cut off as Naomi pushed her pillow down violently over his mouth and nose, and his eyes widened as the half awake boy realized what she was trying to do.

Naomi smiled with demented pleasure as Jim let out a muffled cry beneath the pillow. She could feel his chest under her own, rising and falling as the boy desperately tried to breathe. 

"Oh no," she hissed as he tried to pathetically push her away. "You're not going to stop me this time you little rat." Easily overtaking the boy, Naomi pinned his arms to the bed with her free hand, and then waited for her victim to stop breathing.

It took less time than she had figured for Jim's body to shut down. It happened almost suddenly; his clenched fists loosened and his eyes shut. But the way Naomi could tell that she had been successful was the fact that the boy's chest lay still under her own, not even slightly moving.

After she had pulled her pillow off of Jim's face, Naomi straightened the sheets and blankets around him, making it seem as if nothing had happened at all. Then she turned the still Jim back onto his stomach, his face embedded in the folds of the pillow. 

"Poor boy," she whispered, taking one last look at him from the door. "Too bad no one ever told him not to fall asleep face down in your pillow."

To be continued...

*NO COMMENT! I mustn't reveal what is going to happen... better get to writing the next chapter! Oh and if you find any spelling errors or such...just e-mail me at [anime_angel95052@yahoo.com][1]. Thanks!

   [1]: mailto:anime_angel95052@yahoo.com



	4. Something's Wrong...

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel ^0^**

Gilliam opened his 'eyes' slowly. The small computer was sure his sensors had picked up something -- a noise -- but it had taken the small pink computer so long to reboot that now whatever it was that had been there was gone. 

Slowly, Gilliam could feel his vision sensors kicking back in, and everything around him began to come into focus. As he looked around Jim's room, everything was still. But he _ had_ heard something. A computer's sensors didn't lie.

"Jim...?" Gilliam said quietly, turning the volume of his communicator down. The boy had been very tired lately, and he sure didn't want to be the one responsible for waking him up. However, he wanted to see if the blond was awake." Jim," he said again, but the boy down below him didn't stir. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Maybe Gilliam had been imagining the noise...but as the computer thought about it more, he realized that that was impossible. Artificial intelligence couldn't imagine, so whatever it was that he had heard _had_ to be real.

Without making a sound, Gilliam began to scan Jim. Even if the boy _was_ just sleeping, he had to make sure that there wasn't anything wrong.

"What....JIM?!" Gilliam turned the volume back up. There was something seriously wrong with the boy. Not only had the computer's scans picked up almost nothing on his life signs, but the heat scans showed that the boy was very cold also. 

"JIM!" Gilliam screeched again. Nothing happened, so the computer cranked up the volume to full. He would have to get help. "GENE!" he screamed. "GENE HELP!"

~*~*~*~

"Ugh...what?" Gene blinked sleepily at the noises coming from downstairs, and rolled over on his back. A moment of complete silence passed before another scream sounded through the apartment. "Gilliam?" Had it been the little pink computer? Gilliam wasn't usually that loud, but it sure sounded like him.

Throwing on a shirt, Gene bounded downstairs, flicking the living room light on as he went.

"GENE! SOMETHING'S WRONG!" Sure enough, the little computer's loud voice came echoing through Jim's room. "HELP GENE!"

"Gill, what's the matter? Why are you yelling?" Gene ran into his younger partner's room, only to find that Jim still hadn't been woken up by the noise the computer next to him was making. "Gill?"

"It's Jim, thank goodness you came!" Gilliam extended his small arms and flailed them about in panic. "My sensors are barely picking up any life signs for Jim!" he said loudly, his volume still on full. "And he's very cold!"

"What?!" Gene was immediately down at his partner's side, and soon realized that the boy was face down in his pillow. With sudden panic, Gene turned him over. He gasped as he realized that Jim's lips, cheeks, and even nose were all tinted blue. "What the hell?!" The outlaw quickly pulled the cold sheets off of the boy, lifted him into his arms, and gently set him on the floor. "He's....he's not breathing GILL!" Gene subconsciously began stringing off profanities. "What the hell do I DO?!" he yelled, causing the computer to wave his arms even more. 

"I believe it is called resuscitation!" Gilliam searched through his memory banks. "Yes...CPR!"

Everything was starting to come back to Gene. His father had tried to teach him CPR when he was still very young, but the outlaw had never really paid much attention. Now, as his partner lay dying before him, Gene wished he had listened more. 

"What....what do I do?"

"You compress his chest!" Gilliam informed him loudly, trying his best to keep calm. 

Gene did as he was told, pushing down as hard as he could on Jim's small ribs. He only hoped that what he was doing helped more than hurt the boy. 

"NOW WHAT?!" Gene yelled, pushing down three or four times. "Tell me what to do!"

"Now, you need to breathe for him!" The computer waved his arms. "Give him air!" 

Gene recalled everything his father used to say: breath once, push five. Or was it more? 

"All right, buddy, hang in there," the outlaw whispered. He closed his mouth around his partner's icy cold lips, and forced as much air as he could into the boy. Then he proceeded to compress his chest again

"It's not working Gill, HE ISN'T WAKING UP!" Gene was panicking now. His partner, his best friend, was dying in his arms and what he was doing seemed to have no affect on the boy. "NO, JIM!" Gene shook the boy violently, but Jim remained still, his eyes shut tightly. 

"Just keep doing CPR!" Gilliam shrieked.

"I...." Gene shook his head, and tried to calm down. He was shaking now, but despite this fact he once again bent over his partner and began forcing more air into his lungs. Just as he was about to start more chest compressions, Jim began to gasp for breath, the boy's whole body racking with every cough.

"JIM!" Gene pulled his partner up off of the floor and into his warm arms. He noticed that Jim, despite the fact that he was breathing again, was still unconscious. "Hey now, settle down," he whispered to no one in particular. The words were directed at the boy lying in his arms, but since he was not awake it seemed more like he was reassuring himself. "Everything's going to be okay..."

"Gene!" The outlaw whirled around at the sound of Naomi's voice. She was standing at the doorway, her beautiful gray eyes filled with tears. "What...what are you doing?!" It seemed to Gene that what the girl had said was more of a demand than a question, and he blinked in surprise. 

"I....Jim wasn't breathing...Gilliam called me down here and I found him like this." For a second the outlaw thought he saw anger flash through Naomi's eyes as she glanced over at Gilliam, but he dismissed the idea. The poor girl was probably just tired from being woken up so early.

"What....why wasn't he breathing?" Gene looked up at her. His girlfriend seemed so awake and alert...had she really just woken up? 

"He....I found his face buried in his pillow. I think it was sort of like a crib death..." The outlaw thought about what he was saying. A crib death? At Jim's age? First of all, Jim was eleven years old. How could something like this happen? His partner was too smart, too mature, to fall asleep face down...so how could this be the reason for him almost suffocating? 

"And....and is he all right?" Gene snapped out of his string of thought, and concentrated again on the girl standing before him. 

"I think he will be." The outlaw rose to his feet, holding Jim close to his chest, and headed for the stairs. 

"Where are you going? Gene?!"

"I'm taking Jim upstairs to my room to keep an eye on him for the rest of the night. He should probably see a doctor, but right now..." Gene paused. "Not right now," he finished. "He'll be okay." With that, the outlaw went upstairs and straight to his room. 

~*~*~*~

Naomi watched silently from the door as her Gene lay the little boy gently down into his bed. She had failed, but worse than that was the fact that she had failed in her most important mission, and the brat remained alive. But wasn't her Gene the one who brought him back? Jim Hawking would have died if it weren't for the outlaw. However, Naomi decided that she wouldn't blame the man, after all she would have done the same thing if it had been her best friend that was dying. But then again, she didn't have any best friends, now did she?

Naomi couldn't believe what Gene was doing now....he was actually comforting the boy. She watched in utter disgust as he tucked her former victim in, making sure that the boy was warm and just perfectly laying beneath the sheets. She shook her head, millions of thoughts going through her mind. Her Gene had NEVER tucked her in like that. He had never done anything like what he was doing for this boy to Naomi. Sure, he had loved her and kissed her, but he had never been so gentle, so...so what? What was it that the outlaw was giving to this unconscious boy, that he had never given to her? Was it the undying bond that the two shared? Was it the fact that they had been together so long, and, even though the two shared more of a brotherly relationship, they were closer than her and Gene?

_No. No...my Gene told me himself that he loved me, that he would never leave. I...I told him everything, he has to love me more than anything else in his life...HE TOLD ME SO! _Tears now began to fall down Naomi's cheeks, creating large wet splotches on her night shirt. As Gene approached her, she quickly wiped them away.

"What's the matter, Nai?" 

Naomi couldn't help but smile. Nai...it had been Gene's pet name for her ever since the other night, and it reassured her troubled mind that he was still calling her by it.

"Nothing, Gene...I was...just worried that Jim was seriously hurt, that's all." She kissed him gently on the cheek before turning and heading quickly for her room.

~*~*~*~

Gene stayed in bed that morning for a long time, pondering what had happened that night. Something was wrong with what had happened to Jim, but the outlaw couldn't quite tell what it was.

Looking over at the still boy next to him, he ran the night's events through his mind, carefully analyzing everything as he went. First he had heard Gilliam's loud, shrill voice calling him. Gene had gone downstairs into Jim's room, and had discovered that the boy wasn't breathing. Then he had performed CPR, and revived his partner. Everything seemed so normal as he replayed them over and over in his head. Well, not normal, but nothing seemed strange about it. However, the uneasy feeling in his stomach remained, even after the outlaw had decided to forget about it all.

"Dammit what am I missing?!" Gene yelled out loud, causing Jim to murmur quietly next to him. Even the sounds of Naomi washing the dishes paused for a moment....and that's when it hit the outlaw. _Naomi_... His girlfriend had been with him, at the end after Jim had started breathing again. He had almost forgotten about her. The girl had been so unusually calm...

_Naomi...she seemed so awake..._ Gene recalled how alert she had been, how awake....as if she had already been up. Of course, she had probably woken up after Gilliam started shrieking, but why hadn't she come down earlier? 

Then another image pushed its way into his mind. The anger in her eyes...Gene was sure he had seen it. The emotion had been quick, but it had been there. He was sure of it. 

_What am I doing? _Gene thought. _Am I blaming Nai for what happened to Jim? It couldn't have been her...could it? No, Jim was the one who disliked her, it wasn't the other way around. Naomi was always nice to him, I have never seen her show any dislike for him. But, if I'm so sure it wasn't her, then why was she the first person to come to mind?_

To be continued...

*Okay, I know that chapter was short...but at least y'all now know that my Jimmy-kun is still alive! It looks as if Gene is getting a bit smarter, now donit? He was being pretty blind there for a while...but I won't say anymore. Thanks to those who reviewed! I am really happy that so many people are enjoying this fic! THANKS!


	5. Oops....Discovered!

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel ^0^**

"GENE WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Aisha screamed, banging on the door of the outlaw's apartment. Behind her, a very worried looking Melfina stood with Suzuka, serious looks on both of their faces. The three had just received news of what all had happened, and a certain Ctarl Ctarl was _not_ happy. She was about to bang on the door again, when it swung suddenly open, almost throwing her off of her feet. There, standing in the doorway, was Gene. The three girls were silent for a moment, looking him over. The outlaw looked exhausted; dark rings were beginning to form beneath his eyes, and he had a look of utter desperation in his dark eyes. 

"Aisha?" Gene looked out at them, running a hand through his matted red hair. "Wha-"

"ALL RIGHT GENE STARWIND! WHERE IS SHE?!" Aisha shrieked, forgetting how tired the outlaw looked and instead trying to push past him. However, Gene stood his ground. 

"Whaddya mean, Aisha? What are you guys doing here? Have...have you heard what happened?"

"Yes we did, Gene. Apparently, since _you_ forgo_t_ to tell us, Gilliam felt obliged to give us a call." Suzuka pulled Aisha back, and looked deep into Gene's eyes. "He told us everything that happened." Her eyes remained focused on his, even when the outlaw turned away from her. "We need to talk about his, Gene. Something is seriously wrong," she said quietly.

Knowing the assassin was right, Gene silently moved out of the way, letting the enraged Ctarl Ctarl and crew into the living room. He then motioned for them all to go upstairs.

Aisha's eyes searched every corner of the apartment for Naomi as she bounded up the stairs after Gene and the others. But the girl seemed to be no where in the apartment at the moment. _I'll just have to have a little talk with her later..._ Her whiskers twitched at the thought, and she smiled with pleasure. But what if Gene had already kicked the witch out? Before Aisha could elaborate any more on this thought, the group was at Gene's room.

"He's in there, sleeping I think." Gene quietly opened the bedroom door, and entered the room. "He still hasn't woken up yet. I...I'm not sure what to do." 

Aisha was the first one to approach the small lump in the bed. As she came closer, it began to murmur, and move. 

"Jim?" she whispered, her usually loud voice quiet and calm. "Jim-my...." Aisha sang, slowly pulling the sheets off of the boy. "You awake in there....?" Jim's eyes, as she had figured, were shut tightly. She noticed that he was curled up in a ball, his knees pressing up against his chest and his hands clutching the blanket next to him. All together, the boy reminded her of a sleeping kitten. "Awww...baby Jim looks just like a wittle Ctarl Ctarl..." Aisha's face fell when Jim didn't respond to her teasing, as she had hoped. 

"Aisha..." The Ctarl Ctarl felt a hand on her arm and whirled around, only to find herself face to face with Melfina. "Is....is he all right?"

"Yeah sure," Aisha mumbled. "I guess...." She watched as Melfina sat down next to Jim, her eyes filled with sadness. The bio android touched the boy's shoulder lightly, and then got back up. 

"Do you mind if I sat here with him for a while?" Melfina asked, looking up at Gene. "Just until he wakes up..."

"That'd be great, Mel. I need something to eat anyways, and I think the kid should have someone here." Gene rubbed his head in thought. "I'm not really sure how he will react when he wakes up...."

"Before you eat, Gene, we need to talk to you," Suzuka interrupted. "The entryway would be best I think."

The outlaw looked up at her, a little surprised, but without a word he headed with the two downstairs, leaving Melfina to watch over Jim.

~*~*~*~

Suzuka lowered her head in thought, thinking about what Gene had just told her. The assassin didn't know what it was about what had happened to her young friend, but something was wrong with the whole thing. Eleven year old boys didn't die of crib death. Not Jim anyway. He was too old, too mature, and he would _never_ fall asleep face down. Babies were the ones who did that, not boys like Jim. There had to be something that the outlaw was leaving out in the story.

"What about Naomi," Suzuka finally said, looking up at both Aisha and Gene. "Where was she when you found Jim, hm?"

"Yeah, where _was_ the bitch?" Aisha's eyes narrowed. Suzuka already knew that the Ctarl Ctarl suspected the girl of trying to kill Jim, but unlike her the assassin wanted more evidence before trying to tear Naomi apart.

"What...you don't honestly think that..." Gene wasn't sure what to say, so instead he got up from where he was sitting and turned to face the wall. "No, she wouldn't do something like this. I know her!" He shook his head. "No...she wouldn't..."

"Really, _Gene_," Aisha sneered, getting up in his face. "And did Jim tell you exactly what happened to his nose?! Huh?!" 

"Yes, as a matter of fact he DID!" the outlaw yelled, pushing the Ctarl Ctarl away from him. "A door hit him, that's what happened!" Gene turned back around, his back facing them and his head shaking back and forth. "That's all, it was just an accident!"

"Did he tell you the rest Gene?" Suzuka said calmly. She had a feeling that the boy hadn't told his older partner everything, and as it turned out she was right.

"Rest..?" Gene sat back down with a thud, and looked into the assassin's eyes. Suddenly, Suzuka got the feeling that he too had thought about Naomi as a suspect. But if this was true, then why was he trying so hard to defend her?

"Look, Gene. Jim told us that Naomi flipped out on him. She took his stuff, and then when he tried to get it back--"

"WHAM!" Aisha finished, smacking her hands together. "The witch spazzed out and attacked 'im!" The Ctarl Ctarl began to growl, softly at first, but soon her throat was rumbling with anger and hatred. "Did he tell you THAT GENE?!" she yelled. "Did he tell you that she's insane!? Oh sure she's perfect around _you_, but think about it! WHAT HAS SHE BEEN DOING THIS ENTIRE TIME HUH?!"

Gene looked confused at first, but soon a look of understanding spread across the outlaw's scarred face. 

"She's....she's been trying to get us apart," he whispered. "Making him move downstairs....interrupting him...." He shook his head once more, it was something he had been doing often since the girls got there. "All along she's been trying to separate us!" he suddenly yelled, causing Aisha to jump back a little. "But....but why?"

"I don't know. But...." Suzuka paused. "I think she just wanted you all to herself. And, well, Jim was in the way."

" I LOVED HER DAMMIT! Why would she think that I DIDN'T LOVE HER?!" Gene yelled. He leaned back heavily into the soft chair he was sitting in, and began to rub his temples. "No....no no no no NO!"

"Gene, you have to talk to her--"

"OR I COULD JUST GO AND RIP THAT BITCH APART!" Aisha screamed, her claws suddenly appearing.

"Aisha," Suzuka sighed. "Gene needs to ask her. We don't know for sure yet--"

"Oh I know for sure!" Aisha growled, and then added, "Where is she now, Gene?!"

Gene, his head remaining lowered, let out an exasperated sigh. "She's...she's out getting groceries or something. Aisha..." The outlaw looked up at his enraged friend. "Lemme talk to her, okay? I..." He thought for a moment. "I'll ask her. And if it was her....well then she can just say goodbye!"

"Oh come on Gene. How ya gonna know if she's tellin the truth or not?" Aisha said, calming down a bit. She retracted her claws, and looked at the exhausted outlaw.

"I will....I know her," was all he said. With that, he got up and headed for his room. 

"Come on, Aisha, let's go back to the apartment before Naomi gets back. You can deal with her later...._after_ Gene has talked with her." Aisha pouted a bit at what Suzuka had said, but allowed the assassin to drag her off. Gene only hoped that he wouldn't need the two when he confronted his girlfriend. 

_Maybe...maybe it wasn't her,_ he thought, trying to give Naomi the benefit of the doubt. _I mean, the love we had. I was so close to her! She couldn't have done something like this. _But, despite the words going through his head, the knot in his stomach remained.

~*~*~*~

Naomi knew the instant that she arrived back at Gene's that something was wrong. Maybe it was the fact that inside lay an unconscious little boy, but for some reason she thought that it was something more. Something...something having to do with her.

"Hello?" The apartment was silent as she entered into it. "Hello....?" she repeated again. 

"Naomi." 

The girl's eyes snapped over to where Gene stood on the staircase. Behind him a very quiet Melfina stood, her hands folded in front of her as if she were praying.

"Gene!" Plastering a fake smile on her face, Naomi set down her groceries and headed toward him. "I thought for a second that everyone in the house was dead!" she chuckled. The outlaw, however didn't return her happy mood. 

"Nai...." Gene paused and corrected himself, using her real name. "Naomi, we need to talk."

"Oh...sure....um," Naomi stuttered nervously. She knew what was coming, and needed an excuse out of it. "Let me put away the groceries....OK?"

"Now Noami. We need to talk now." 

"All....all right." She let the outlaw lead her upstairs, and past his room. She snuck a quick glance at Jim before following him to her room at the end of the hall. She knew exactly what this was about. It had happened to her before: the lover taking her someplace excluded, telling her that she was no longer loved...needed.... She only hoped that this would be different, but when they entered the bedroom, what Gene said was exactly what she had expected. _._

"Naomi, I need to talk to you about what happened to Jim...." Gene's voice was low and serious as he sat her down on the bed. "Were....were you the one who did this to Jim?"

"Gene? What are you saying?" Naomi interrupted all too quickly. Did the outlaw know? Did he know that it had been her? _The boy...._ she thought immediately. Had _he _told her Gene that she had tried to--

"Dammit Naomi were you the one who did it?" Gene interrupted her thoughts, shaking her lightly. "Were you?" His eyes were soft, filled with worry. She looked deep into them, noticing that they were beginning to glisten with tears. Maybe, just maybe, Naomi could find a way out of this. Somehow act normal....somehow convince him it wasn't her.

"Gene...Gene how could you accuse me of something like that!" she yelled suddenly, slapping him hard across the face. He released his hold on her arms, turning to face the wall. His hand was soon rubbing the spot where she had hit.

"I love you...you know that. But....but we have to be able to be honest with each other." The outlaw lowered his head. "I was honest with you before, and you were with me. When...when you told me what that guy did to you, that was honesty. Now I am only asking for it again. I need the truth....what happened?"

_Yeah right, Gene. Like you're really going to forgive me that easily if I tell you what happened. _

"No," she lied, a look of fake innocence glued onto her face. "I wasn't the one who did that. You know I wouldn't EVER do anything so horrid..." Naomi let her voice trail off, watching his expression closely. Would he believe her? No, she realized. She knew her Gene so well, he wouldn't buy it. If his mind was made up about this, then Noami had no hope.

"I asked for the truth Noami." Gene looked into her eyes again, but instead of seeing sorrow, she saw anger. "You were the one, weren't you. You were the only one in the house besides me and Jim!" 

"NO! He....he fell asleep in the pillow, REMEMBER?!" She got up from the bed, shaking her head back and forth rapidly. She was failing to look innocent now, and she knew that she had blown it. Naomi had been acting too worried and nervous. An innocent person wouldn't have rushed into denial so quickly. "It wasn't me GENE!" she yelled lamely.

"Then why are you over-reacting so much?! Naomi...I think that it would be best if you--" 

"GENE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" she screamed suddenly. Everything she had hoped for was crashing in on her, and she had to do something to stop it. She didn't want to go through another relationship, she loved her Gene too much. Naomi had to make sure that she would NEVER be away from his warmth and love. "Gene...don't do this. NOT LIKE ALL THE OTHERS!" Tears were pouring down her pale white cheeks. "No....no you PROMISED!"

"This is different Naomi. The moment you did that to Jim, our relationship was OVER," Gene said harshly, rising from the bed also. The outlaw let out an exasperated sigh. "This should have been over as soon as you EVER thought of hurting him."

Naomi was speechless. The girl just stood there now, shaking all over. This couldn't be happening, not again. 

"No....NO I WON'T LET YOU GO!" she screamed, pushing Gene out of the way and bolting out the door. She had to stop what she knew was coming. Gene Starwind would NEVER leave her like her former lover had. She would make sure of it. 

"Where...where are they!?" she whispered to herself, groping wildly through kitchen drawers as soon as she entered the dusty place. Faintly she remembered the first time Gene had brought her home. She had promised to clean the cobweb-filled kitchen, but had never gotten around to it. Maybe if it had been just her and her boyfriend... 

Behind her, the sound of Gene's footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. "Where are the DAMN--" Naomi stopped as her hand brushed something long and sharp in one of the drawers. Pulling the knife out, her lips began to curl into a sick smile. 

"Naomi...." 

Hiding the knife beneath her shirt and pinning to her back, Naomi turned to face the outlaw standing in the doorway. His eyes were enraged, but at the same time full of pity for the deranged girl. 

"Naomi, I want you out of here. I want you gone...ya hear?" Gene motioned his hand towards the door. "I won't hurt you....and I won't come after you. I just don't want to see you again."

Naomi looked him over carefully, and when she didn't see any weapons said sweetly," Of course Gene...whatever you want." She smiled innocently at him as a surprised look crossed his face. 

"Re...really?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice. 

Playing with the deadly weapon behind her back, Naomi looked deep into his eyes. "Really," she hissed.

To be continued....of course. Why wouldn't it be? Okay...maybe it would go unfinished if I got hit by a car....but otherwise THERE WILL BE MORE!

*Thanks for the wonderful comments and e-mails I received about his fic. *sniff* It makes me feel so warm inside ^_^ Again if there are any horrible spelling errors...then E-MAIL ME at [anime_angel95052@yahoo.com][1] Thanks!! 

   [1]: mailto:anime_angel9a5052@yahoo.com



	6. Decisions to be Made

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel ^0^**

Naomi began to approach Gene, the knife still hidden into he folds of her shirt. Oh yes, she would make sure that they would be together. Whether it would be heaven or hell, she would make sure that the outlaw was there.

"Gene...do you still love me?" Naomi whispered, a tight smile playing on her thin pink lips. She stopped directly in front of him, making sure that he was looking right into her eyes. "Do you?"

The outlaw looked confused. "Um...Naomi..." He sighed. "Look. I did love you, but after now..."

"Well, I love you...why can't you love me?" she whined, leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on his lips. "I didn't mean to hurt the boy. I was just so frightened." Naomi, with her unused hand, began to draw circles on Gene's strong chest nervously, tears welling in her eyes. "I really am sorry..." 

"No, I'm sorry," Gene said, pulling away from the girl. "Sorry that I was too blind to notice what you were doin'."

"Gene! I was just so scared! You know what my last lover did to me....it....it was happening all over again with you!" Hot, wet tears began to slide down her cheeks, and for a moment she thought she saw a look of pity in her outlaw's eyes. "I just...I just don't want to be lonely again...."

"Naomi...what you did -- it wasn't necessary! You tried to murder Jim dammit! He's an eleven year old kid! How could ANYONE do that?!" Gene took a step back and Naomi then realized that her lover would never understand how she felt, no matter how many tears she spilled for him. Her only hope now was to end it all, for both him and her, before things got worse. She yearned so badly to be alone with Gene, even if it meant that they both had to die in order to do so. 

Naomi let him back away a little, a look of complete sorrow now in her eyes. She was about to pull the knife, when a soft sound caught her attention. Her eyes, as well as Gene's, moved to the stairs where a very tired looking Jim stood quietly. 

"Jim!" Gene said, surprised that the boy was actually up and out of bed. For a moment he forgot about the crying girl standing next to him, and instead rushed to his partner's side. But Naomi just stood staring hatefully at the two.

"How ya feelin'?" Gene said, ruffling the boy's hair. Jim looked up at his older partner, dark circles rimming his eyes. He was very pale, and they stood out against his almost pure white skin. 

"Tired Aniki," Jim murmured. 

He looked down at the floor and then, instead of looking back up at his partner, he looked straight at the girl standing only a few feet away. 

"Aniki..." he began, still looking at Naomi. He seemed nervous, and he continued to focus his gaze on her while talking to Gene. "I...I need to talk to you about something..."

Naomi felt the fury knot in her stomach as the kid stared straight at her with bright blue eyes. Slowly she began to advance on the two, stopping when the sound of knocking echoed through the apartment. 

Gene, totally oblivious to what Naomi had been about to do, sighed. "Man, I told Aisha and Suzu to leave us alone," he whined, obviously annoyed. "Though, it's probably just Aisha. Didn't she ever hear the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat'?" He shook his head back and forth and headed for the door, leaving a very nervous Jim alone with Naomi.

For a second the boy just continued to stare at her, a confused look in his eyes. Then, after a moment of awkward silence, he spoke. "Aniki...." His voice shook with slight fear. 

Naomi watched as Jim began to inch his way down the stairs, obviously trying to get to his partner before she got to him. She let him go, however, without any hassle. Revenge would have to be taken later, for now there were more people in the household. 

"Damn." Naomi took the knife out from under her shirt, and looked at it for a moment, letting a last teardrop fall onto the shiny metal. With a reluctant sigh, she placed the weapon back in the kitchen and headed to the living room. Her plans would have to wait until she was alone with her Gene again. Naomi was only glad that she hadn't lost total control, or everything would have been ruined. The Ctarl Ctarl and assassin would have seen her trying to kill him, and then stopped her. 

_No,_ she told herself. _I can't lose control. I have to do this carefully, or else I will never have Gene. And that can't be allowed to happen. _

_ I will never be alone again. _

Naomi smiled inwardly as she positioned herself behind the living room wall, just out of sight. The right time would come soon, it had to.

~*~*~*~

Jim gasped as he was engulfed in a large Aisha bear hug. The Ctarl Ctarl, Melfina, and Suzuka were all now sitting in various places in the living room, along with Jim and a very antsy looking Gene. As soon as Jim had plopped down onto the sofa, a very happy Aisha had pounced on him. Now he was being squeezed...VERY tightly.

"Aisha...AISHA! You're smothering ME!" Jim pushed away from her, and the Ctarl Ctarl looked down at him sheepishly.

"Oh...heh...sorry JIM!" She stuck her tongue out, and before Jim knew it he was receiving a wet, sticky lick from the infamous Aisha ClanClan.

"EW AISHA!" 

"Mreow!!" Aisha wiped a bit of spit off of the ticked boy's cheek. "Aisha just couldn't help herself! I guess Aisha ClanClan lost control for a moment..." She tugged on one of her ears. "So how ya feelin'?"

"Fine..." Jim gave them all a reassuring grin. "Just a little tired is all!" A moment of silence passed, until Melfina spoke up from her seat in the corner.

"Um....Jim? Did...did Naomi do this to you?" Everyone's head snapped in the direction of the bio-android. No one had expected HER to be the one to ask that question. In fact, Aisha had planned on doing it herself. But as everyone stared, Melfina only continued to look seriously at the young boy, her large liquid eyes sparkling. "Was she the one?"

Jim turned away in shock as everyone now began to look at him. The happiness in the room had now evaporated like a morning's dew, only...without the beauty. 

"I..." Jim began. How could he tell Gene that his lover, the one that he trusted and loved, had tried to kill his younger partner? The outlaw had been so happy with her, so content. Jim couldn't bear the thought of having to break his "aniki's" heart.

He looked up into Gene's dark eyes, and noticed something in them. Was it...understanding? Did the outlaw already know about Naomi? Sudden realization hit Jim. _That's what they were talking about when I woke up..._

"Jim, go ahead and tell me," Gene whispered, silently knowing what was going on in the boy's head. "I already know."

"But, how?" Jim was confused. Even if Gene had been talking it over with the girl, would she have really told him?

"A certain 'delicate blossom' suspected it all along, squirt." Gene flashed the group a lopsided grin. "It just took me a little longer to figure it out. I mean, I guess you were right when you said I was a little dense, eh _James_?" Gene pulled the boy over to where he was sitting, and punched him playfully in the shoulder.

Jim let out a small laugh, but soon became serious again. "I'm...I'm sorry Aniki. I mean..." He stared down at his bare feet. "I know how much you loved her and all."

"Not as much as I love you kid." Jim looked up into his partner's eyes with complete surprise. Had the outlaw really just said what he thought he did? He _loved_ Jim? "You're like a brother to me, kid. I couldn't stand it if you were ever gone. I mean, I would rather have you here to bug me, than have the most beautiful girl in the world by my side instead." He patted the boy's head. "So don't EVER think that...all right?"

Jim was speechless, and could only nod. He was stunned...his partner had never spilled his guts like this before. And in front of the girls too!

"R...right Aniki." 

Gene flashed another goofy grin. "And Naomi is not gonna be here to bother ya any more...okay? Tonight she's packin' her bags and leaving. AND NO YOU MAY NOT KILL HER AISHA!" he added, sensing that the Ctarl Ctarl was drawing her claws. 

"Gene..." she growled, her face contorting in anger. "Aisha feels it's necessary in THIS SITUATION!" she squealed, her voice high and cracking.

Gene rolled his eyes. "Nuh uh. You ain't doing anything. What she did was bad...but she's just really messed up." His eyes darkened. "Really messed up," he repeated. Memories of his suffocating partner began to flood his senses, but he pushed them away. "Right now I think you should--" 

The outlaw stopped in the middle of his sentence when Aisha again began to draw her claws. But the Ctarl Ctarl's eyes were not focused on Gene and Jim, they were focused behind them.

"What the hell...Aisha?" Turning around slowly, the outlaw soon found himself face to face with a very angry Naomi.

"So that's what you really think Gene Starwind," she growled. "Well...I happen to think differently."

To be continued...DON'T FREAK! The rest will be coming soon. 

*Just as a note, this is not pairing Jim and Gene. They are like family blah blah blah yadda yadda. Anyhoo...more will be here later. SORRY if it is kinda short and all...but I had a hard time writing. (school...does NOT do a body good.) I will hurry with the next! And thanks to all the nice people who actually take the time to E-MAIL me and compliment the fic. THANKS!


	7. And Things Get Ugly...

The Price of This Love

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel ^0^**

Jim scooted himself closer to Gene as Naomi leaned over and whispered something in the outlaw's ear. He was nervous...VERY nervous. The girl was insane, and Jim wasn't sure what exactly she was capable of. 

"Um, guys? Would you mind if um...you left us alone..." Gene stopped as Jim began to shake his head violently back and forth. It was obvious that the boy didn't want something to happen again, and Gene could certainly understand why. "Never mind. Naomi and I are going to go in the next room." With that, the outlaw and his ex-girlfriend left. On the way out, Gene gave his younger partner a reassuring nod.

"Aisha, are you okay?" Melfina asked quietly, breaking the moment of silence that had followed the departure of the red-haired outlaw. 

The Ctarl Ctarl was in a pouncing position on the couch, her predator-like eyes fixated on the room where Naomi was now located. Her claws were now fully extended, revealing amazingly long, curved daggers. 

"I'm fine," she snapped, her gaze still fixed straight ahead. Suddenly, a low growling began in the base of her throat, causing Jim to jump in his chair.

"Aisha, it's okay...Gene'll take care of everything!" The boy moved back over to his original seat next to the Ctarl Ctarl. "Aisha...? Earth to Aisha.." Knowing that he had to snap her out of it, Jim cautiously tapped her shoulder. 

"WHAT--" Aisha stopped when Jim looked up at her with big, yet fake puppy eyes. 

"Pwease Aisha...yo scaring me!" he said in the cutest baby voice he could come up with. Aisha immediately burst into laughter. 

"I KNEW IT!" she screeched, pouncing on the boy and forgetting for a moment about the girl in the other room. "Aisha KNEW you were a wittle baby!" She began to pat his head. "Aaaaaaww...and he's such a cute wittle fella TOO!"

"Okay Aisha...that's enough," Jim said, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. _Now why did I do that? Oh yeah...to keep her from destroying everything in the room..._

"So, you REALLY all right?" she asked, tugging on a strand of his hair. It amazed Jim how the Ctarl Ctarl could change emotions so quickly. Aisha had gone from totally infuriated, to giddy, to concerned all in about three minutes. "Jim-my don't lie now!" she whined.

"Yeah I'm fine Aisha!" He pulled one of her large hands out of his hair. As soon as it was out, the other went in." I'm just tired is all....you know, I need to rest..." he said, looking at her expectantly.

"Yeah! Good IDEA!" Aisha yelled, not getting what he was trying to tell her. She continued to run her fingers through his hair.

"Aisha, I think he wants you to leave him alone...." Suzuka informed the Ctarl Ctarl. Melfina began to laugh softly as Aisha gave the assassin a blank stare. Suddenly, a look of understanding crossed her large eyes.

"Oh...OH YEAH! Sorry there Jim!" Aisha moved away from him and began to twiddle her thumbs. "Heh...Aisha got a little carried away there!"

Jim rolled his eyes, and then yawned. "Yeah, well I think that once Gene is done, I'm gonna go on to bed." 

"Personally I think that Gene Starwind is being a little to easy on that bitch," Aisha said, folding her arms. "I mean, she DID try to murder you..."

"Yeah, Aisha, but the poor girl..." Melfina looked at the group sadly. "From what I heard she's really messed up!"

"Yes, while I do think that what she did was horrifying, I also think that it wasn't entirely her fault..." Suzuka got up and went into the kitchen. She came back out a moment later with a cup of tea. Everyone's eyes were on the wise woman." I mean," she continued, "Naomi was so blinded by her own jealously, that she couldn't control herself anymore." The group was silent, and so the assassin went on after a moment. "Though, she could also just be..._cruel_. I mean, in that case she should be punished." Her voice was suddenly dark. " _Severely _punished..."

"Yes," Melfina said quietly. The bio-android was still unclear of what exactly had happened to Jim, but by the looks that Aisha and Suzuka had on their faces, she figured that it had to have been something horrid. "Yes I must agree," she whispered.

Aisha sat up taller in her seat as yelling began to erupt from the next room.

"DAMN YOU!"

"Gene, YOU PROMISED ME...!"

"Ya know I was going to let you leave, BUT AFTER WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT JIM...!"

"Gene! YOU AND I WERE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER!!"

Suddenly the door swung open, and a very angry looking outlaw marched out. Behind him, Naomi stood with clenched fists. 

"I AM NOT LEAVING!" she screamed, her eyes filled with fury. Tears were now streaming down her cheeks. 

"Yes, you are." Gene motioned for Aisha, Melfina, and Suzuka to leave. "Guys I think it's time for you to go. I gotta help Naomi pack her stuff." He pointed to Jim. "Buddy, I think you better go to your room for a while," he said gently, trying to ignore the protesting girl behind him.

"Right, Aniki." Jim got up along with the girls, and the group went their separate ways. 

"Ya need Aisha's help, just call!" Aisha sang, before following Melfina and Suzuka out the front door.

"Gene, I REFUSE TO GO!" Naomi screamed again, watching as the outlaw entered the kitchen to get a garbage bag. 

"Naomi, go get your stuff," he ordered, handing her the bag. 

"NO!" 

Jim watched as Gene turned to face his enraged ex-girlfriend.

"Naomi..."

"I WON'T!"

"NAOMI YOU ARE ACTING LIKE A--" Gene's insult was cut off by a sharp slap from the girl in front of him. Jim, knowing that this was soon to get ugly, headed into his room and stopped at the doorway. He didn't want to get into the middle of the fight, but he was also unsure of whether Gene could handle the girl by himself. Especially since she was just as tall as him, and very strong when she was determined to do something. Silently the boy watched as his older partner grabbed Naomi's hand, stopping her from slapping him again.

"It's time for you to leave, do ya want your clothes er not?" the outlaw said, releasing his grip on her wrist. 

Angered by his words Naomi rushed into the kitchen, now sobbing. Her face was red when she returned, and her eyes were glassy. It reminded Jim of someone who had just been drugged...for her eyes were completely glazed over. However, Jim could still see pure hatred in them...

~*~*~*~

"You...you and I..." Naomi was so angry, so desperate, that she could barely breathe. "Will be together...WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!" she screamed. How could her Gene be doing this to her, be betraying her like this? He had promised her that he would NEVER leave, and she had trusted him!

"Naomi, whether you pack your clothes or not you are LEAVING!" 

"NO!" 

It was obvious that the outlaw was getting very annoyed with her, and he was shaking his head back and forth. "Naomi..." 

"I AM NOT LEAVING! The only place I am going is HELL and YOU ARE COMING WITH ME!" Blinded by her own anger and frustration, Noami pulled a knife out from behind her back. She smiled as a shocked look crossed Gene's face. "I'll see you in Hell..." she whispered, holding the weapon menacingly out in front of her. Gene began to back away.

"Now...Naomi..."

"HELL YOU HEAR?!" she screeched, plunging the knife down at the outlaw's chest. She grinned as she felt the weapon strike flesh, and soon blood began to run down her arm. She was a bit surprised, especially since her Gene hadn't even cried out in pain. 

"Na...Naomi..." She watched, a satisfied look in her eyes, as the outlaw sunk to the floor, holding his wound. 

"Now...." Naomi bent over and looked into Gene's dark eyes. They were filled with pain, and for a moment she was sorry that she had to torture him so much in order for them to be together. "I will make it quick," she whispered, kissing him softly on the cheek. The outlaw closed his eyes, and she felt his muscles tense.

"No...I really don't think so!" Without warning, her lover was again on his feet. She fell back, and gasped in surprise as he removed his hand from his chest, revealing only a minor slash mark. 

"But...but I HIT YOU!" It was no matter to Naomi though. Even if her Gene did fight back, she would be dying with him either way. "Gene Starwind, I love you." she growled. It was strange to hear herself say that, especially since she lunged at him again. The outlaw grabbed a hold of her arm. 

"SETTLE DOWN!" he yelled, but she continued to claw at his face with her free hand. Blood began to trickle down his cheek. 

"AGH!" Gene grunted and let go of Naomi's arm as her nails made contact with one of his eyes. Seizing her chance, she again slashed wildly at him with her weapon, cutting both him and herself several times. Soon the two were on the floor, blood splattering all over the pure white tiles. 

"ANIKI!" Naomi heard the sounds of the boy's footsteps coming toward them, and she stopped what she was doing for a moment. Gene seemed to be 'under control' so she instead focused on Jim. He was now at his partner's side, completely ignoring the fact that Naomi was sitting on top of the outlaw with a large knife. She frowned as the boy began to pull Gene away from her. "ERG GET OFF OF HIM!" the boy yelled, suddenly pushing her away from the outlaw.

"Outta my way," she growled, forcing him back with the blade of the knife. Suddenly he lunged at her, barely avoiding the blade and instead knocking into her stomach. She let out a cry as he pushed her all the way off of her victim, and then onto the floor. The knife flew out of her hand and landed right next to her body. "NO YOU'LL RUIN EVERYTHING!" she screamed, but it was too late. Her wounded Gene was already rising off of the tile. "NO!" With all of her strength she grabbed the brat that was on top of her and slammed him into the floor. He let out a small cry, but then went limp as blood began to pool under his body. Naomi smiled sickly...the boy had landed on the knife.

"No JIM!" Gene yelled. His eyes searched the room quickly, before falling on his partner's still body. _He must really be afraid of me to want his Castor,_ Naomi thought in amusement as she stood up, taking the knife with her and drawing herself up to her full height over the outlaw.

"Now," she whispered softly. "This was fun, but it's not him I'm after." Naomi grinned and ran the blade over her Gene's back. She was in control now, and nothing could stop her. She had the outlaw right where she wanted him, and he was defenseless. Normally he could have stopped her easily, she knew, but he was wounded...along with his younger partner. "It's you I want. And this time my lover won't leave me. Gene Starwind... I'll see you in Hell."

To be continued...hopefully soon.

*What did ya think? Okay okay, so I'm not that good at writing fight scenes and stuff...but considering I am at home suffering from insomnia it's pretty good. I will try and get the rest up later...please review!


	8. Aisha to the Rescue! Sort of...

The Price of This Love

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel ^0^**

"Why are you doing this?!" Gene yelled, still crouching on the floor. He felt the blade of the knife moving up and down along his back, and so he figured that it would be best if he stayed still. Not only that, but Jim lay before him, his body limp.

"Gene Starwind, you remember don't you? How...how he promised me so many things...how he LEFT me?! And now you, you're doing the SAME THING! Only, you're leaving me for that brat." Naomi shook her head and Gene felt the knife come closer to his neck. "And Chad left me for another woman." 

"Naomi, I loved you. If you hadn't of done this everything would still be normal. It's your own fault--"

"NO!" she yelled, and Gene felt her weapon press up against him, almost to the point of drawing blood. "It's his fault," she whispered, pointing with her free hand to the still boy on the floor. "Just like it was that woman's fault."

"Naomi--"

Gene was cut off by a sharp prick of pain. He grunted as he realized that Naomi's knife had cut through his shirt, and penetrated his skin. Warm sticky blood began to stain his back, and he allowed himself to slowly sink lower to the tile floor.

"Oh Gene, it could have been so easy if you had just accepted this," Naomi cooed, bringing the blood covered knife up off of his body. "But now...now the only way we can be together is if we die." 

Gene, knowing that the girl would soon carry through her threat, decided to take the chance and call for help. He recalled what Aisha had said, so, taking the risk of getting impaled by his insane ex-girlfriend, he screamed," AISHA HELP US!"

"NO!" Naomi yelled. Gene could see the shadow of her arm against the far wall, ready to bring the knife down into his back. With a determined cry he rolled to the side, just as she plunged the weapon down. The blade hit the floor with a loud 'shwing' and barely missed the outlaw by inches. 

"No....NO YOU WILL DIE WITH ME!" she screamed, scrambling after him. "YOU WILL!" 

~*~*~*~

Aisha perked her ears in interest. She was sure she had heard something, but was it Gene?

"What's the matter Aisha?" Melfina asked, looking at the Ctarl Ctarl suspiciously. "What...what are you thinking?"

"My superior ears picked up something!" Aisha said excitedly. She listened again, but there was nothing. "Aw...I wish Suzu hadn't of made us wait in this STUPID Cafe!" she screeched, drawing the attention of everyone in the crowded room. The assassin, after departing from the apartment, had suggested that they give Gene and his ex-girlfriend some privacy. So now the trio sat in the LaBumba Cafe, awaiting any word from the outlaw. "Then I could HEAR BETTER--" 

Aisha stopped as her delicate ears picked up a loud crash coming from where Gene was. Sure it could have been anything, but the Ctarl Ctarl was anxious for action. "AHA!" she yelled, getting up from her seat enthusiastically, and knocking over the table.

"What?" Suzuka asked, barely dodging a falling plate of food. She looked up at Aisha, an annoyed look in her eyes. "Aisha you need to loosen up--"

"I HEARD SOMETHIN!" the Ctarl Ctarl interrupted. She turned to run out the door, and before the assassin could stop her she was gone. 

~*~*~*~

"Now Naomi.." Gene knew it was no use, but he had to try and distract her....even if it was only for a moment. "You won't be able to do this, you realize that don't you?!"

"I don't care if anyone tries to stop me," she hissed, crawling toward him with the knife in hand. "I will die anyway. All I have to make sure of is that you come with me." 

"Come on....Nai!" Gene was desperate, but using his pet name for her wasn't helping. The girl was coming closer and he couldn't do anything about it. His Castor was upstairs, and he couldn't even stand up anymore. "If you really loved me Naomi you wouldn't do this!" he said frantically, knocking over a table and sending its contents to the floor with a loud crash.

"Oh Gene...poor poor Gene. You are just so confused." For a moment the girl stopped, and looked deep into Gene's dark eyes. Her own eyes were shockingly gray now, almost to the point of being white. They mesmerized the outlaw for a moment, and for some reason they seemed..._unreal_. Was it because the girl was so angry? Or.....insane? 

"I do love you, you just don't understand that this is for the better." She continued, blowing him a kiss and then lifting the knife in the air. Naomi had the outlaw perfectly cornered. "Goodbye Gene Starwind. I will join you after--"

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW I HEARD SOMETHING!"

Gene sighed in relief as Aisha's voice sounded through the apartment. As if God was smiling down at him that moment, Noami whirled around. 

"Thank the Lord," he whispered under his breath, kicking the girl with all of his strength in the side. She let out a fierce cry and doubled over in pain, the knife dropping from her grip and clattering to the tiles.

"NO!" she screeched, frantically trying to pick the weapon up. Just as her hand reached it however, Gene's foot planted itself firmly on top of the blade. "AH! NO NO NO NO!" 

Naomi, in all of her rage, launched herself at the outlaw in desperation. He gasped as she closed her long fingers around his neck, cutting of his air. He coughed and struggled in her grasp, but found himself growing weaker as she began to bend his neck back. It was then, just as she was about to end it once and for all, that he noticed the enraged Ctarl Ctarl standing behind his captor. Within a second her claws were out, shining in the dim light. 

"BITCH!" was Aisha's cry as she impaled Naomi in the back with her claws, causing the girl to scream out in pain and defeat. She was still looking into Gene's eyes when she fell into his lap, her body twisting so that she was face up. 

"No....no no no no no no," she moaned, blood running down her neck and onto her hair. Soon it began to drip down her forehead and into her eyes. 

The Ctarl Ctarl was about to hit her again, when Suzuka held her back. 

"Aisha, that's enough. She's down now." The assassin, assured that Aisha was under control, released her hold. Aisha let out one more growl before withdrawing her claws. Both bent over Gene, assessing his injuries.

"Suzu, Mel...help me here!" Gene yelled, coughing in-between words. He remained on the floor as his friends lifted Naomi off of him. 

"Oh Gene," she whispered as they lowered her down. "Gene, I really did love you. But...but I guess love wasn't meant for me? WAS IT GENE?!" The girl's eyes clouded over, and soon she was crying. Blood mixed with the tear-drops and fell freely down her face, staining her shirt with large red splotches.

"Aisha, help me up," the outlaw whispered, ignoring Naomi's piercing stare. The girl began to babble as the Ctarl Ctarl lifted him off of the floor. She kept calling his name, along with her former lover's... Chad, the one that had promised her marriage. The one who had left her standing at the alter in her wedding dress, sobbing for him to come back -- just like she was sobbing right then.

Soon, the girl lay still, her eyes still open. Gene shuddered and forced himself to look away from the body.

~*~*~*~

"Is she...?" Melfina began. She had seen death before: Hilda, pirates, and other enemies... but never so close. She fell silent as Gene's eyes began to widen, focusing on something behind the three.

The outlaw pushed last the assassin and Aisha as best he could, and landed on his knees in front of his partner. For the first time since the girls had entered the building, they noticed the still boy lying on the floor a few feet away.

"Oh...oh my..." Melfina gasped in horror. Blood soaked the once white tiled around Jim, and his night shirt was red as well. Melfina felt a knot tightening in her throat. She had never seen anything so bloody, and the sight sickened her.

"Jim...Jim?!" Gene bent over his partner and, with help from Suzuka and Aisha, lifted him onto the couch. "Dammit!" 

_No..._ the outlaw thought. _No I can't lose him! I already had to save him once...DAMN! This is all my fault! If only I had made Naomi leave sooner..._ But no. Gene just HAD to be soft on the girl. But why? Why had it been so hard for him to believe that she was insane? Was it the love they had made those nights? Was it the fact that she had been so beautiful...so mysterious? So good to him...? _No. It was the fact that she was the first one that I ... I ever truly loved..._ But that wasn't important. It was all over now, and Naomi had turned out to be more of a nightmare than anything else. Gene had to focus on something much more important now....his partner. As if jolting back into reality, the outlaw realized that the girls were trying to talk to him.

"--he's bleeding all over everything! Look at all of it! This can't be good.." Gene heard Aisha say. Suzuka had said something as well, but he wasn't sure what. Now the two were on either side of him, trying to pull Jim out of his arms. 

Ignoring the pain that he himself was in, Gene pushed away the assassin and Ctarl Ctarl that were trying to help him and lifted up his best friend's shirt....only instead of getting an eyeful of gore, there was only blood. In fact, the wound that his younger partner had obtained was a lot like the one Gene now had on his chest: a large slash. 

Gene replayed the image of Jim and the knife over in his mind; Naomi grabbing the boy by the shirt, tossing him onto the blade...

"IT WAS SIDEWAYS!!" he suddenly yelled, sighing in relief. The knife his partner had landed on had been face up, but just on it's side. Jim hadn't been impaled, but rather _cut_. 

"Wha...?" Aisha, Suzuka and Melfina only gave him confused looks. Slowly, the assassin began to discover what the outlaw had just realized. 

"The knife was sideways," she said softly, pointing out the large cut running along Jim's stomach. 

Gene couldn't help but smile a bit as he looked around the room for something to patch the blond up with. Though the boy was losing a lot of blood, he was sure that Jim was going to be all right. At least...that's what he hoped.

"Here," Aisha said, handing the outlaw his cloak. For a moment he hesitated, remembering when Jim had given the thing to him on their first Christmas together, but what was more important? It or the person who gave it to him? 

Gene ripped the fabric into strips, and carefully applied them to his friend's wounds. Then, without a word he lifted the boy up into his arms, supporting the limp child's head and pulling him close to his warmer body. 

"Come on," he said, leading the group out the door. He didn't care if they didn't have any money...or insurance. He was taking Jim to a doctor.

As they all left, Melfina couldn't help but take one more look at the dead girl behind them. Naomi would never again live; she would never eat, sleep, laugh, cry, or love ever again. 

Melfina shuddered. She was just beginning to understand what death really was.

To be continued...

Whew! That one took a little longer to write, but hey...I got it up right? Anyways, I am over my insomnia. *sweatdrop* You wouldn't believe he fic ideas that come to mind when you don't sleep. I am just glad that writer's block didn't get in the way. ^_^ More should be up soon, and I am thinking of writing an alternate ending starting from the point where Naomi smothers Jim. Lots of people e-mailed me regarding what they thought should happen, and a few HAVE requested an alternate ending, so I think I might put one up! Thanks for the wonderful reviews everyone! And don't worry...the rest of this should be up soon. Maybe one more chapter...or two? I dunno. Keep checking back!


	9. On the Road to Recovery

The Price of This Love

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel~^0^**

Gene Starwind looked through the glass window of the hospital recovery room, a worried knot forming in his stomach. Jim looked so peaceful, lying in the recovery bed. His blond, matted hair was spread out over the white pillow and his soft eyes were closed. But underneath that serene look, Gene knew that the boy was in pain. Hell, he was too. His arm and shoulder were now in a sling, and his back and chest were bandaged tightly. His injuries, however, had apparently not been as bad as his partner's...

"Dammit," he whispered, sinking back into the soft chair that the nurses had provided him with. He was exhausted, not only from fighting that day but from hassling the doctors. When the group had first arrived at the hospital, it had been the usual routine. 

'Do you have any money sir?' the nurse had asked. 

'No I don't but--'

'Well do you have any medical insurance?'

'No I--'

'I'm sorry sir...'

But eventually Gene had convinced the woman to let him in, showing the stubborn girl his wounds and then his younger partner's before she finally gave up. Now the outlaw sat alone outside of his partner's room, thinking. Thinking about what had happened that day.

"I'm sorry Jim..." was all Gene could think to say. It had been HIS fault that the boy was injured....HIS fault that Jim was in so much pain. _I should have made her leave..._

But all was in the past now, and Gene had to think ahead. He had already called the authorities, and assumed that the body would be gone when the group returned home; the body of his first authentic love would be under some slab of rock, rotting away. 

The outlaw shuddered...but why? Why did he feel such regret for what had happened? The girl had practically succeeded in killing his best friend...TWICE! But still, the nagging feeling at the back of his throat remained. Like some awful nightmare, thoughts began to flood his mind. Memories of Naomi....of Jim....of everything. 

Still, why was he feeling so terrible? Like he had betrayed the girl? She had been so possessive, and so messed up. But why? Why was he feeling so damn bad about her death?!

_I shouldn't be feeling this way..._he told himself. _I don't feel sorry for her, do I? I don't want her back...so what am I feeling? Guilt? Am I guilty because I didn't make her go sooner? Would that have changed things...would she and Jim not have been hurt? _

"Mr. Starwind..." 

Gene's head snapped up in attention at the doctor standing before him, his thoughts scattering. 

Was...was Jim okay?

"Mr. Starwind I just wanted to tell you that--"

"Yeah?"

Gene could feel tension and dread rising in his throat as he awaited the doctor's answer.

"Your partner is going to be all right." 

The outlaw let out a sigh of relief, and ran a shaky hand through his matted red hair. 

"You can take him home tomorrow," the doctor continued, "as long as you don't let him do any physically straining activities. Ones that would further strain his wounds and render him..."

Gene blocked out the doctor's persistent warnings, and instead looked back to where Jim was lying. The boy still hadn't moved, but at least Gene knew that he was okay.

"Do you understand Mr. Starwind.... Mr. Starwind?"

"Yeah yeah...can I go in and see him?" The outlaw crossed his fingers, hoping that Dr. Mishawka was feeling generous.

"Well, he won't be very coherent...but I suppose that--"

Gene was in the room and at his partner's side before the doctor even finished her sentence. 

"Jim?" he whispered, leaning over the boy's still form. "Jim..." Gene closed his eyes for a moment. What could he say to the boy? How would he say he was sorry, when it had been his fault that Jim had almost been killed...How could he apologize for causing him pain--

"Aniki?" 

Gene looked down at the boy, smiling as he realized that Jim's eyes were halfway open.

"Aniki...that you?" Jim murmured again, wetting his dry lips and focusing his gaze on his older partner. "Wah....? Where am I?"

"Hey there you lazy ass...what took you so long?" Gene said, plastering a cheerful smile onto his face. "Your in the hospital...what did you think? The circus..."

Jim scowled. "Oh shut up..." For a moment a confused look crossed his pale features. "Where's Naomi?" the boy finally asked, his voice soft.

Gene lowered his head. "Well...." Should he tell Jim what had happened? "Aisha sort of took care of her buddy..."

"Oh...yeah I figured something like that happened." The boy closed his eyes a moment, and when he opened them again they shone bright blue, all traces of pain gone. Gene figured it was the medication... "Are you okay Aniki?"

"Yeah! Course I am!" Gene laughed awkwardly, rubbing his head. 

"You don't look it Gene Starwind..." Jim said, narrowing his eyes. However, they softened when the red-haired outlaw lowered his head. "Aniki--"

"Hey come on Jim," Gene said suddenly, cutting of his younger partner's words. After a moment of silence he said, "Good news, buddy...you can come home tomorrow!" He had to make some conversation, for he didn't want Jim to start worrying himself sick over Gene's stupid feelings, just like the outlaw knew he would.

The outlaw slapped Jim on the back playfully, and grinned. It was a fake grin, but it was enough to fool Jim...or at least that's what Gene thought. However, Jim was very much aware that there was something wrong. He decided to dismiss it though...for that moment.

"Cool," the boy said instead, smiling also. 

"Well, I better go get things ready...at home..." With that said, Gene got up from his place beside Jim and headed for the door. He was about to enter the hallway when he turned back around, sneaking one last glance at his resting partner. Was Jim even mad at him? He sure didn't show it...but maybe he really wasn't angry. _Maybe...maybe it wasn't my fault at all..._

And with that reassuring thought on his mind, the outlaw headed for home.

~*~*~*~

"How's Jim?!" Aisha yelled as Gene exited the hospital. Suzuka and Melfina had left long before by foot, in order to clean things up at the apartment, but the Ctarl Ctarl had felt a certain obligation to stay and wait for any word on her little Jim. 

"He's gonna be fine. Comin' home tomorrow in fact," Gene said as he passed her and headed for their car. She followed close behind.

"Really? TOMORROW?!"

"Yes...."

"WOW! Doncha think that's a little early though?" Aisha twirled one of her light bangs. "I mean, he did get a pretty nasty little cut there..."

"Well, the doctor said he was fine, so I'm takin' her word for it."

Aisha smiled gleefully and hopped into the car with the outlaw. Jimmy was okay! She could hardly contain her joy as Gene drove toward her to her apartment. 

"So he's coming home tomorrow...?" she asked again after a moment, still unsure of whether this was true or not. 

"YES AISHA!"

"K....just making sure..."

~Two days later~

Jim let out a deep sigh. It had been twenty four hours since he actually got back to the apartment, and things weren't going well. Now he was sitting alone on the sofa in the living room area, monotonously flipping through channels. Nothing had been the same since Naomi had...well....'died'. Gene hadn't been the same at all. He had been quieter, more awkward around the boy, but why just around Jim?

As soon as his older partner had carried him into the 'household' the boy sensed something. Gene's muscles had immediately tensed upon entering the doorway, and instead of setting Jim down on the couch the outlaw had taken him directly to his room. His NEW room. Not the old one, not the one that had been supposedly 'cleaned up', but his new one. Then, after realizing his mistake, had Gene lifted him back up and taken him to the upstairs bedroom. 

_I guess he could have just gotten used to me staying there..._ Jim had told himself over and over, but somehow the thought didn't ease him. Why had Gene done that, if just hours before he had prepared the room for Jim? Did...did he do it unconsciously? As if ... Naomi was upstairs?

Jim let out yet another shaky breath. He knew that Gene didn't want to worry him, but it was too late for that. Jim had been thinking this over ever since his partner's little mistake. Sure it had been minor, probably something anyone would do, but it still made the boy wonder. Was his Aniki okay?

"Hey there Jim."

Jim looked up suddenly, and found himself face to face with Gene.

"Oh...hi Aniki..." 

"Whatcha thinkin' bout?" the outlaw said somewhat more cheerfully than the day before. But should Jim really tell him that he was worried?

"I...Are you really okay?"

For a moment Gene looked a little shocked, lowering his head and plopping himself down next to the boy. But when he spoke, the words were not an excuse or fake cheerful comment. 

"Look, Jim, I know I have been acting a little weird and all but..." Jim looked at his partner expectantly. "But I just feel a little lost is all. Confused I guess. Ya know? It's not that serious or anything." He flashed Jim a lopsided grin, this time for real.

"Yeah, well I guess you got a right to be." 

There was a minute or two of silence -- uncomfortable silence -- until Gene spoke again.

"Hey Jim? Would you..." The outlaw paused, and worry again began to rise in Jim's throat. "Will you come with me to Naomi's grave?" he finished softly, not making eye contact with his younger partner. Before Jim could say anything, however, Gene went on. "It's just, I just want to see it. I mean...aw hell. I don't know." Gene looked at Jim, half expecting the boy to burst out laughing, but Jim only remained silent. "I don't love her anymore, but...." The outlaw thought for a moment. "But she was really my first love ya know? I just can't help but feel like this was my fault..." 

"No!" Jim shook his head. "Aniki! Why would you think that? She was just insane!" Jim forced himself to stop. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, but he was still confused.

"Well, what if I had made her leave earlier...hm? Then...then you wouldn't be hurt, and she would still be alive!"

"Yeah but Aniki..." Jim thought everything over quickly. "Aniki, everyone is entitled to love, and you and her..."

"We really did love each other," Gene finished. "We really did. I don't think I can get over that."

Jim smiled softly and scooted closer to his older partner. Like the best friend that he was, Jim said, "I'll come with ya, if it helps." He punched Gene in the side. "But NO fast food. We have no money!"

Gene grinned and scooped Jim up into his arms, despite the boy's protest. The outlaw still wasn't sure if he should be walking, and so he had carried Jim everywhere since bringing him home. 

"Come on, kid." 

And with that Gene whisked Jim out the door.

To be continued ... ONE LAST CHAPTER!

*All right, so that one sort of sucked, but hey! I did my best! There really wasn't much excitement, but the climax is over folks. ^_^ I still urge you to read, but the next chapter may be sort of sappy. -_-; oh well. I still might do the whole alternate ending thing, so stay tuned! 


	10. The End of the Road

The Price of This Love

**The Price of This Love~***

**By: Anime Angel ~^0^**

Jim scowled as his older partner lifted him out of their car, carrying him in a way that resembled a father or mother carrying a baby. 

"Aniki, I _can_ walk ya know," the boy growled indignantly, struggling briefly in the much stronger arms of Gene.

"Not accordin' to the doctor." The outlaw grinned; he enjoyed getting on Jim's nerves, and his partner knew it.

The two had arrived at the small, yet peaceful cemetery at about noon, only to find that there were barely any people at all. Only a woman, a man, and two children were there, but they looked more as if they were celebrating than anything else.

The whole graveyard, in fact, looked more cheerful than any the outlaw or the young genius had seen. The grass which lined every pathway was overgrown, yet a bright green that seemed to highlight the path all the way to the end of the stones. The trees were blooming, also. As if Death were something beautiful, the bright pink cherry blossoms fell all around the gravestones, creating quite a contrast between the cold gray slabs and their brilliant color. 

"This place is nice, huh?" Jim asked softly, his voice slightly muffle due to the fact that his face was currently smashed up against Gene's shoulder. He attempted to wiggle loose, but to no avail. 

"Yep...I wouldn't have thought the cops would put a criminal in a place like this, but anything goes I guess. Of course, I heard they were a little busy, so they probably had to pick a place pretty quick." The outlaw slowed his pace for a moment. "I heard they didn't give her that great a burial, either."

"Yeah well, I guess it's cuz the authorities handled it. It's whatcha get for trusting the cops to get somethin' done."

"Hm...here it is kid." Jim let out a relieved breath as his older partner finally set him down on the ground. He turned his gaze to the lone stone standing in front of them, and then looked up at his partner, wondering what Aniki was thinking.

~*~*~*~

To Gene Naomi's gravestone seemed to be separated from the rest. 

As he stood by her grave the wind seemed to pick up, blowing thick red hair into his eyes. All around him crisp, pink cherry blossoms fell, landing at his feet. 

Her stone was at the far end of the cemetery, almost covered in the overly-tall grass that seemed to thrive in the graveyard. For a moment he just stood silently, staring at the words encarved on the tablet. **_May Naomi Kita Rest in Peace Forever in the Kingdom of the Lord._**

_Sure,_ thought the outlaw, _like the girl's really gonna go to the 'Kingdom of the Lord'. I doubt God likes girls who try and murder little kids and boyfriends. _Besides, hadn't she been set on taking him to Hell with her?

Gene broke his gaze with he name as he noticed his younger partner glancing nervously about. He grinned inwardly, glad that the boy had agreed to come along. The outlaw was a little surprised, both at himself and his partner. First of all, Gene was surprised that he had even asked Jim. He had known that Naomi had tried to kill the kid, but for some reason he had needed his partner to be there with him. Second, why had Jim even agreed? Gene's ex had tried to smother, and then stab the blond ... Jim had to be crazy to want to come and see her grave! But as the outlaw thought about it more and more, it only became more clear that Jim was just being a real friend -- his BEST friend. The boy wasn't crazy for wanting to come, he was giving Gene support.

"What's the matter Jim? Don't like graveyards?" he laughed, watching the boy shiver as a coffin nearby was lowered into the ground. 

Jim let out an indignant breath. "No...it's just..._creepy_."

"Sure..." Gene smiled playfully, and pulled Jim closer, running a scarred hand through the boy's tousled blond hair. 

"I thought you were here to say your goodbyes..." Jim said under his breath, readying himself for when the outlaw would pick him up again. He hated be carried around like a baby, yet Gene insisted upon doing it. _Oh well...no use trying to fight it. Maybe it'll come in handy if we have to walk somewhere far always or something..._

"I am I am....don't rush me." Gene, making sure that Jim wasn't going to go try and walk off, turned his focus back to what he had been doing. A small gust of wind began to blow flaming red locks of hair across his eyes as he stared down at the stone gray slab before him.

The outlaw stared at Naomi's grave and recalled what Jim had said about saying goodbye. Was that really why he was here? _No....no it's more like good ridden than goodbye..._ But if he wasn't there to say farewell, then why _was_ he there in the first place? 

_To.... _To what? _Why the hell am I here anyways? She doesn't deserve someone paying their respects..._

But then thoughts flashed through Gene's mind, and all of a sudden he knew what he had come to do. Leaning down ever so slowly, he lowered himself to his knees and stared hard into the carved out words on the stone tablet in front of him. An overwhelming feeling of regret filled his mind as he silently began to speak to Naomi, hoping the girl would hear. Hoping that somewhere down in Hell, the devil himself was allowing the girl to hear his words of apology. It took him only a few minutes to express his sincere thoughts; he told her that he was sorry, and regretted meeting her...that everything would have been fine if he had made her leave early, or never went with her at all. _Then...then all of us would still be okay..._

And when Gene was done, and as he rose off of his knees, he gave her his last final thought, something he should have right after she had tried to hurt Jim. _Naomi, I did love you....but now...now it is OVER . _

"You okay there Aniki?" Jim asked as Gene slowly stood back up, brushing the dirt off of his knees. 

"Yeah, I'm fine..." The outlaw let his voice trail off, and then grinned. "Now I feel...hungry."

Immediately a look of frustration crossed his younger partner's features. 

"Gene Starwind we are NOT picking up any food! I told you we were BROKE! We have NO MONEY! ZIP! ZILCH! NADA--"

Gene, knowing that the boy would go on forever if allowed, picked him up quickly, purposely stuffing Jim's face in his shoulder. 

"Whaddya say? A cheeseburger sound good?" The outlaw laughed as Jim let out a muffled 'no'. "Yeah you're right... a HOTDOG sounds better!" Gene's lopsided grin widened as Jim let out a series of profanities, all of which were inaudible...thank goodness. 

As the two headed for the exit of the cemetery, Gene couldn't help but take one last look at the lone gravestone standing isolated at the end of the yard. He stood staring for a moment, and was surprised when Jim didn't complain. Yet again, another cherry blossom flashed across his vision, and as if it had triggered the memory Naomi's words filled his ears. The words she had said almost right before she died. 'I guess love wasn't meant for me...'

_No...I guess it wasn't,_ he thought, turning back to the car. But as he went to set Jim down, something occurred to him. 

What if...what if it was him that wasn't meant for love? What if he was destined to be a one night type of guy all his life? 

"Hello...?! Mothership to Gene Starwind..."

Gene snapped out of his coma at the feel of Jim's small hand whacking him across the face, and immediately his former thoughts were gone. 

"HEY!" the outlaw growled, whacking the boy back gently into the seat. "Just because _I'm _a little hungry doesn't mean you need to hit me over the head!"

"Oh yeah!" Jim yelled, smacking the red-head again.

"HEY!"

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" Jim sneered.

"I don't know if you wanna find out!"

"Oh yeah?! TRY ME!"

And with that Gene pounced on the boy, sending them both flying back into the car. It was only when Jim let out a howl of pain that the outlaw ceased tickling his younger partner. 

"OH DAMN! I forgot!" A look of terror crossed Gene's eyes as various thoughts of what he might have done to his younger partner's injuries crossed his mind. "Oh God Jim...I'm sor--" His apology was cut off abruptly by the feel a dirty sock entering a mouth.

"Gotcha."

Gene glared at the smiling, cocky boy in front of him, kicking himself for falling for Jim's trick so easily. Slowly, he pulled the sock out of his mouth.

"You know..." Jim said smugly, "This whole wounded thing might be good for somethin' after all..."

**THE END**

*YEP! That's right folks! After ten chapters this fic is DONE! *does a little dance* I am so happy...but now of course I have nothing to do. Well, better start coming up with fic ideas...and soon. Sorry if you didn't like the end, but I am might make an alternate one too! This one was sort of short, and kinda hard to write, but I hoped it turned out okay! Thanks to all of those who reviewed!


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